Adam Rossington smashes The Hundred’s fastest half-century in London Spirit win
The Spirit crushed Northern Superchargers by seven wickets to put one foot in the knockout stages
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Your support makes all the difference.Adam Rossington smashed The Hundred's fastest fifty off just 15 balls as London Spirit pulverised a 144-run target against Northern Superchargers at Headingley, maintaining their 100 per cent record with a fourth win.
The Spirit's seven-wicket success with 18 balls remaining meant they already have one foot in the knockout stages at the halfway mark in their campaign after leg-spinner Mason Crane impressed with 2-23 to restrict the Superchargers to 143-5.
Spin and pace off did the trick for the Spirit on a used surface - a break from the Headingley norm in white-ball cricket - before Rossington looked like he was batting on a different pitch. He hit nine of his first 15 balls to or over the boundary, finishing with 66 off 25.
Home captain Faf du Plessis top-scored with 56 off 35 after electing to bat, and the Superchargers have now lost their last three games following an opening-round win.
They only scored 23 off their 25-ball powerplay, losing Adam Lyth, who miscued Glenn Maxwell's off-spin to mid-on.
Australian Maxwell conceded just six runs off 15 balls, 10 of which were bowled straight through to start proceedings.
Aside from Adam Hose's late 30 off 14, Du Plessis was the only Supercharger who looked comfortable as he hit two sixes over long-on and deep midwicket.
A lack of timing and miscues were prominent against a varied attack oozing confidence.
Crane had David Willey stumped for 16 and Harry Brook caught at long-off for 12. When the latter fell, the Superchargers were 60-3 after 53 balls.
But the home crowd's mood was lifted in the final 20 balls due to Hose's heroics.
After former Supercharger and current Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thompson - otherwise expensive - bowled Du Plessis with a slower ball full-toss, Hose crashed his first three balls for two fours and six over long-leg.
But it was nothing compared to Rossington's early assault.
Off the bowling of Willey and Roelof van der Merwe inside the first 10 balls of the chase, he crashed three fours and three sixes in seven deliveries, taking the score to 34 without loss.
His three sixes came in as many balls off Van der Merwe's left-arm spin, clobbered over long-on and straight.
Overseas duo Wahab Riaz and Dwayne Bravo were both hoisted over square-leg and midwicket by Rossington, while Craig Miles was dragged over long-on to secure his fifty with a fifth six, eclipsing Supercharger Lyth's 17-ball effort against Oval Invincibles last week.
Adil Rashid bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond, but even at that early stage in the chase, the points had all-but been secured.
When Rossington picked out deep midwicket off Van der Merwe, trying to hit his eighth six, Spirit were 113 for two after 52.
Maxwell capped off an excellent personal day with a typically high-octane unbeaten 43 off 25.
In the other game played at Headingley, Northern Superchargers claimed their first victory of this year’s Women’s Hundred as they edged out London Spirit by five runs.
Spirit’s pursuit of 127-4 was derailed when they lost two wickets in as many balls as star opener Beth Mooney was run out before Danielle Gibson top-edged Alice Davidson-Richards to fine leg.
The Superchargers continued to take wickets at key times to leave Spirit needing 13 off the final five and despite an excellent effort from Sophie Luff the visitors fell short.
Earlier, Bess Heath had hit a superb 57 off 34 deliveries featuring 10 boundaries, digging her side out of trouble to set a target of 128.
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