Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball) – 23/07/24
Ground – The Kia Oval, London
Head Coach – Jonathan Batty
Captain – Lauren Winfield-Hill
2023 Finish – 5th
Champions – 2021 & 2022
^ Sophia Smale of Oval Invincibles
Order of Content – The Draft & Construction of Squad, 2023 Season & What To Expect, The Squad, My Starting XI, Player’s To Watch, The Leadership, The Schedule & Where To Watch, Tickets.
The Draft & Construction of Squad
On their standards, 2023 was a disapointing campaign for Batty and his side, being their first in The Hundred where they haven’t been champions, however this only amounted to a fifth placed season, and arguably as a result no drastic changes required within the squad. In the retention stage of the squad formulation, sides have the option to retain up to eight of their 2023 squad. Invincibles opted to use all eight of those spots, with Marizanne Kapp of South Africa their sole overseas retention and the domestic group of Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Tash Farrant, Mady Villiers, Paige Schofield, Sophia Smale and Ryana MacDonald-Gay joining her.
After retention comes The Draft, with sides having to fill any remaining gaps in their top 13 salary bands. Owing to their fifth place finish they earned a fourth place pick in the draft which they used to select Sri Lanka’s super-star captain Chamari Athapaththu. Their next pick filled their overseas slots with the tournaments top wicket-taker in Australia’s Amanda-Jade Wellington joining the fold. Domestic opening bat Jo Garder is next to enter the fold, followed by pace duo Lizzie Scott and Georgie Boyce to compete the draft.
This leaves Invincibles with two slots to fill in their lowest two salary bands, done a few months after the March draft in the Vitality Wildcard Draft, which allows domestic form to be rewarded. They used the opportunity to add Scottish pacer Rachel Slater and a back-up keeper in Amara Carr.
Since the draft concluded, Tash Farrant has pulled out through injury. As she was their designated marquee player, they were allowed to bring in an overseas player to take her place, making Australia’s Megan Schutt the fourth internation for the side. However, it is important to note only three can take to the field at once. In addition, Athapaththu will be unavailable for the first two games as she represents her country in the Asia Cup, with Aussie Laura Harris coming in to replace her for that period.
2023 Season & What To Expect
Based on the standards they would set themselves as they entered the third year of the tournament, 2023 was no the Oval Invincible’s year with it being the first since their formation that has not seen them with a trophy in hand come the end of the season, as they finished fifth overall with three wins from the seven games rain allowed them. For me their issues formulated around over-reliance on a handful of players in each game (usually one-two) to guide them towards a defend-able total, with those around those core players often failing to get off the mark successfully. This combined with a longer than desired tail left the squad unbalanced. The additions of top-order batters Jo Gardner and Sri Lanka’s Chamar Athapaththu will look to rectify that and balance out the side with their additions to the squad, with both being talented allrounders.
The story with ball in hand was a much more successful one, with the side as a whole performing with ball in hand and wickets being distributed pretty evenly among those involved. As a whole the pace department outperformed the spinners, with their quintet taking 33 of the 40 wickets during the tournament. Therefore, the edition of the tournament’s overall top wicket taker in Australian RA leggie, Amanda-Jade Wellington in the draft will not go amiss for the side as an experienced face for the spin department. Their reliance on Marizanne Kapp with ball in hand is a concern however, with the South African quick taken 11 wickets in the third edition. Kapp is currently managing an injury and her ability to bowl in the tournament is still up in the air, quite frankly the 2021 and 2022 finals player of the match’s absence with ball could be the difference if they are to reclaim their fame at the top.
As a side with a strong balance of youth and experience, as well as arguably the strongest overseas group in the tournament you wouldn’t put it past them to claim their third title. Especially as a side with experience in the pressured scenario of a final. At a minimum, you’d expect a top half finish in the table.
The Squad
Chamari Athapaththu (o), Marizanne Kapp (o), Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Amanda-Jade Wellington (o), Mady Villiers, Paige Scholfield, Sophia Smale, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Jo Gardner, Lizzie Scott, Georgie Boyce, Rachel Slater, Amara Carr, Laura Harris* (o), Megan Schutt? (o).
*overseas replacement for Chamari Athapaththu for the first two games
**Tash Farrant has dropped out of the tournament due to injury.
My Starting XI
Lauren Winfield-Hill (C & WK)
Chamari Athapaththu/Jo Gardner
Alice Capsey
Marizanne Kapp
Paige Schofield
Jo Gardner/ Laura Harris
Amanda-Jade Wellington/Megan Schutt (depending on need for additional pacer or spinner)
Mady Villiers
Sophia Smale
Lizzie Scott
Ryana MacDonald-Gay
Bench – Georgie Boyce, Amara Carr Rachel Slater & Megan Schutt/Amanda-Jade Wellington.
Player’s To Watch
Star Player: Marizanne Kapp
Kapp returns to the Invincibles squad for her fourth year this summer, with the 34-year-old South African allrounder showing no signs of slowing down. With 26 wickets and 423 runs across three seasons with the Invincibles, as well as player of the match performances in their title winning 2021 and 2022 finals her retention into the squad could be the difference between another title winning season or not for the side.
Young Talent: Ryana MacDonald-Gay
Her recent call-up to the England ODI squad to face New Zealand tells you all you need to know about exciting allrounder MacDonald-Gay. The 20-year-old and her pace with ball in hand has proven crucial for Invincibles in recent years with 13 wickets across their 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Her season in South East Stars colours has tallied 25 wickets and 106 runs across formats.
The Leadership
Lauren Winfield-Hill (Captain):
Former world cup winner with England in 2017 and talented wicket-keeper batter Lauren Winfield-Hill enters her third year captaining the side, with a break from captaincy duties in 2023 which is coincidence or not the only year which lacked success for the Invincible’s. The 33-year-old has played a key role for the side in recent years with both bat and gloves, scoeing 447 runs across the three editions and taking 12 dismissals (4 catches & 8 stumping’s). As she reenters the fold, this time back as captain she’ll be hoping to lead her strengthened squad to their third title.
Jonathan Batty (Head Coach):
Jonathan Batty enters his fourth year coaching the side, a spell which has been full of highs and lows. Two successful campaigns in 2021 and 2022, which saw his side overcoming the infamous Charlotte Edward’s Southern Brave in both would certainly be the peak, the trough albeit harsh his sides underwhelming campaign last year which saw them in fifth place, followed closely by London Spirit and Manchester Originals in sixth and seventh with only one point separating them. With the backing of those surrounding him, and clever work in the draft and in the rebuild of his squad we wouldn’t put it pass the former Surrey cricketer to win his side silverware once more.
The Schedule & Where to Watch
*Home games indicated in bold*
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time (BST) | Coverage (UK) |
| Tue 23rd July | Birmingham Phoenix | The Oval, Kennington | 2:45 PM | Sky Sports & BBC Two/ iPlayer |
| Sun 28th July | Welsh Fire | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
| Fri 2nd August | Northern Superchargers | The Oval, Kennington | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
| Sun 4th August | London Spirit | Lord’s, London | 11:00 AM | Sky Sports |
| Tue 6th August | Manchester Originals | Old Trafford, Manchester | 11:30 AM | Sky Sports |
| Thu 8th August | Southern Brave | The Oval, Kennington | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
| Sun 11th August | London Spirit | The Oval, Kennington | 11:00 AM | Sky Sports |
| Wed 14th August | Trent Rockets | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
Eliminator – Saturday 17th of August @ The Oval, 2.15pm – Sky Sports, BBC Two & BBC iPlayer
Final – Sunday 18th August @ Lord’s, 2.15pm – Sky Sports, BBC Two & BBC iPlayer
Tickets
https://www.thehundred.com/tickets?matches=group
Join in with the action! Tickets start at £5 for Juniors and £11 for Adults in the group stage. After all, every ball counts!
