‘An amazing day’ – Lizelle Lee slams 37-ball 70 for Surrey Stars

Lee’s brilliant 37-ball 70, and her 94-run stand with Sarah Taylor for the second wicket, helped the Stars post 167/8. Thunder fell short of that total by 55 big runs, and the Stars moved to within a point of the all-important third place in the six-team table.

Lee went big 11 times, hitting six hefty sixes, while Taylor was slow only in comparison, crunching eight fours on her way to a 37-ball 51.

Put in to bat, the Stars never really felt the sting of the early loss of Bryony Smith, dismissed by Emma Lamb in the fourth over, with Lee and Taylor going all guns blazing.

Most of Lee’s six biggies were slog-swept over mid-wicket, and one of them only narrowly avoided hitting Ebony Rainford-Brent, the Surrey Director of Women’s Cricket, who had tripped over a kit bag behind the ropes.

Though Thunder did well to apply the brakes after Sophie Ecclestone dismissed Lee, the chase was always going to be tricky.

Thunder started well, with Nicole Bolton and Evelyn Jones adding 55 for the opening wicket. However, Dane van Niekerk returned 3/20 to stifle them, and Thunder were bundled for 122 in 19.2 overs.

Lee later soaked it all in, but said it was imperative that the Stars made the most of their soaring confidence.

“Yeah, it was an amazing day,” she said. “I’m just glad the girls took us over the line. I think the confidence is high. But we’ve to take it through to the next few games.”

The Stars will next take on Loughborough Lightning on Thursday.