Will the Southern Braves become the first team to win every match in a single edition of The Hundred? The women's tournament leaders have bounced back from a disastrous 2023 season and are now one win away from a second title; watch the final from 1.45pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket (2.15pm kick-off).
Pictured: Southern Brave won all eight of their group games to take first place in the 'Hundred'
To paraphrase a line from Star Trek, the “Southern Brave Women” boldly went where no one had gone before.
No women's or men's team has previously achieved an unbeaten record at the Hundreds League stage since the ECB 100-ball tournament was first held in 2021.
But the Brave came out on top and Georgia Adams won all eight of their matches to set up a perfect run with a win over the Welsh Fire on Thursday.
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Brave sailor Lauren Bell was brilliant against Welsh Fire, taking 4 of 6 from 20 balls.
They will now be looking to complete the first perfect year in The Hundred's history when they play the Northern Superchargers or reigning champions London Spirit in the final at Lord's on Sunday.
The stage is no stranger to the Brave, as they reached the first three finals of this competition, losing to the Oval Invincibles in 2021 and 2022, before finally lifting the trophy 12 months later with a 34-point win over the Superchargers.
They have been the dominant women's team since the inception of The Hundred, winning 29 of their 41 games, losing 11 and drawing one.
Pictured: The Brave will face either the Northern Superchargers or reigning champions London Spirit in the Women's 100 final at Lord's.
If the 2024 campaign had not been a complete failure, this result would have been even more terrifying.
Last year was a miserable one for the Braves, with six defeats from eight and just one win as Charlotte Edwards' time in charge of the Southampton side, now England manager, came to a disastrous end.
Edwards' final game in charge saw the Fire thrashed by nine wickets as their opponents were reduced to 104 with 26 balls to spare.
Southern Brave's group stage record in 2025
- Beat Manchester Originals by six wickets
- Beat Birmingham Phoenix by 15 points
- Beat Northern Superchargers by eight wickets
- Beat Trent Rockets by six wickets
- Beat the Oval Invincibles by 89 points
- Beat Welsh Fire by three wickets
- Beat London Spirit by eight wickets
- Beat Welsh Fire by 29 points
Fast forward a year and things have changed dramatically. This time, in their final home game against the Fire, they held their opponents to a 77-9 deficit in pursuit of 107 points, winning by 29 points.
Bell, other bowlers to play for Brave in 2025
England's Lauren Bell scored 4-6 from 20 balls in that game, taking her total to 19 wickets, a new record for a single edition of the women's tournament.
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Watch Bell become the first woman player to take 50 wickets in The Hundred
She was superbly supported by New Zealand veteran Sophie Devine (12 wickets) and spinners Madi Villiers and Tilly Courteen-Coleman (both 11 wickets). Another slow bowler, skipper Adams, scored eight.
Bell, Adams and 18-year-old Courteen-Coleman are the only bowlers other than Manchester Originals' Mahika Gaur to have an economy rating below six having bowled more than 100 balls.
In 2025, the Braves have allowed more than 120 runs in an inning only twice and have held opponents to double digits twice. They've also shown they can win in the first inning and in the chase.
There seem to be few flaws in this formidable outfit.
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Brave 18-year-old spin bowler Tilly Courteen-Coleman has said she is ready to take the next step in her career and play for England.
True, the batting may not have been as dynamic as some other teams, but the pitching showed that it didn't need to be and the Braves showed that they can boast of a good pitching performance, scoring 161 against the Invincibles before making 78 against their opponents.
On any given day, this top six – Maya Bouchier, Danny Wyatt-Hodge, Laura Woolwardt, Devine, Freya Kemp and Chloe Tryon – can give you a good beating.
The Brave are a great squad that includes their athleticism on the field and they just don't panic.
After the clunky performance against the Fire last time, when the chasing team ran up a 50-1 lead, many teams might have given up. But not the Braves. They applied the pressure tactics they always do well, and ended up winning easily.
Pictured: South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt has scored over 200 points for the Brave this season.
However, none of this will matter if they don't win a second title in three years.
We saw Team India win their first 10 matches in the 2023 Cricket World Cup but then lose the most important match – to Australia in the final.
Brave people are well aware that they have not yet won the trophy, but perfection is temptingly close.
Watch the 2025 Hundred finals live on Sky Sports Cricket from 1.45pm on Sunday. The women's final kicks off at 2.15pm and the men's final at 6pm. Watch cricket and more with NOW.
Sourse: skysports.com
