Oval Invincibles secured their place in the women’s Hundred knockout stage by defeating Trent Rockets by five wickets at Trent Bridge, simultaneously knocking the Rockets out of the competition.
Marizanne Kapp, the standout all-rounder from South Africa, played a pivotal role in the match. She delivered an exceptional performance with the ball, claiming 3-8, and later anchored the Invincibles' chase with an unbeaten 26, guiding her team to victory with six balls remaining.
The Rockets, after being put into bat, had a disastrous start. They quickly found themselves struggling at 3-3, with Kapp removing both openers, Bryony Smith and Grace Scrivens, while Rachel Slater bowled Nat Sciver-Brunt for a duck. Despite Ash Gardner's quick fire 43 from 26 balls, the Rockets’ innings faltered, and they were reduced to 60-5 when Gardner was caught by Mady Villiers off her own bowling just after the halfway point.
The Rockets managed only 31 more runs from their remaining 48 deliveries, finishing with a modest total of 91-8.
The Invincibles, facing a challenging pitch, did not have an easy time chasing down the target. They stumbled to 33-3 after losing Lauren Winfield-Hill and Alice Capsey to successive deliveries from Heather Graham and Alana King. However, Kapp's crucial 51-run partnership with Paige Scholfield for the fourth wicket steadied the innings and put the Invincibles in control.
Although Kirstie Gordon dismissed Scholfield, caught by Alexa Stonehouse, and Villiers was stumped off Gardner’s bowling, Kapp held firm, eventually hitting the winning runs to propel her team into an eliminator match against London Spirit at The Oval on Saturday.