A 15-ball half-century makes light work of 144 target as Superchargers slump to third defeat

ECB Reporters Network14-Aug-2022Adam Rossington smashed the Hundred’s fastest fifty off 15 balls as London Spirit pulverised a 144 target against the Northern Superchargers at Headingley, maintaining their 100 percent record with a fourth win.The Spirit’s seven-wicket success with 18 balls remaining means they already have one foot in the knockout stages at the halfway mark in their campaign after leg-spinner Mason Crane impressed with 2 for 23 to restrict the Superchargers to 143 for 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.Superb 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 for 3 after 53.Glenn Maxwell enjoyed an excellent day with bat and ball•ECB/Getty ImagesBut the home crowd’s mood was lifted in the final 20 balls as the Spirit were unable to inflict a Hose pipe ban.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 ver Merwe inside the first 10 balls of the chase, he crashed three fours and three sixes in seven balls, 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.And he was far from done. Overseas duo Wahab Riaz and Dwayne Bravo were both hoisted over square-leg and midwicket, while Craig Miles was dragged over long-on to secure his fifty with a fifth six, eclipsing Supercharger Adam Lyth’s 17-ball effort against Oval Invincibles last week.Adil Rashid bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond (15) to make it 69 for 1 after 28 balls for London Spirit. 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 2 after 52.Maxwell capped off an excellent personal day with a typically high-octane unbeaten 43 off 25.