Blaze Blazes Trail with Elwiss's Brilliance, Sciver-Brunt Shines

The Blaze Extend Unbeaten Run with Five-Wicket Victory over Thunder in Women’s Vitality Blast Nottingham-based The Blaze continued their flawless march through the Women's Vitality Blast, notching up their latest triumph with a well-paced five-wicket win over Lancashire Thunder at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester. The win keeps them unbeaten, while also showcasing the strength of their international core. 🔥 Match Summary Thunder: 150/9 (20 overs) Ailsa Lister 79 (38) Heather Graham 3-36 | Kirstie Gordon 2-24 The Blaze: 151/5 (18.2 overs) Georgia Elwiss 43 (30)* Nat Sciver-Brunt 31 (25) Kate Cross, Tara Norris & Alana King among wickets 🧨 Key Performances 🏴 Ailsa Lister’s Explosive 79 Lister walked in at 41/3 and turned a slow innings into a competitive total. Her 38-ball 79 included 9 fours and 3 sixes, the highest individual score for Thunder this season. Offered two lives (on 3 and 62), she made Blaze pay and nearly single-handedly carried Thunder to 150. 🇦🇺 Heather Graham’s Impact with Ball and Bat Claimed 3 for 36, including the crucial wicket of Lister on the final ball. Later struck three vital boundaries in the run chase to wrest momentum back for Blaze after a mid-innings wobble. 🏏 Georgia Elwiss: Composed Finisher Anchored the chase with an unbeaten 43 off 30, finishing the match with a trademark straight boundary. Steered Blaze home after the loss of key players like Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones. ⚖️ Turning Points Powerplay Pressure: Thunder crawled to 29/2 in the first six, setting the tone for a stifled start. Middle-overs collapse: From 110/4 to 150/9 — Thunder lost five wickets in 21 balls, undoing Lister’s brilliance. Sciver-Brunt’s early blitz: Four boundaries in her first 10 balls set up Blaze’s chase, even though she was eventually bowled for 31. Final push: With 30 needed off 26, Elwiss and Graham kept calm and closed the game with 10 balls to spare. 📊 Blast Standings Implication The Blaze remain top of the table with a perfect record. Lancashire Thunder, who had just played at The Oval the day before, suffer a dent in momentum, dropping down despite Lister's heroics. The Blaze 153 for 5 (Elwiss 43*, Sciver-Brunt 31) beat Lancashire 150 for 9 (Lister 79, Graham 3-36) by five wickets