Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington wreaking havoc in The Hundred

Aussie spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington is wreaking havoc in The Hundred, cementing her status at the competition’s highest wicket-taker.

Amanda Jade Wellington of Southern Brave. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Amanda-Jade Wellington just can’t be stopped.

The Australian leg-spinner has cemented her status as The Hundred’s highest wicket-taker by claiming three scalps during Thursday’s one-sided match against the Trent Rockets in Southampton.

Wellington and Southern Brave seamer Lauren Bell combined to decimate the Rockets’ middle-order at the Rose Bowl, restricting the visitors to 8/88 from their 100 deliveries.

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Australia’s Elyse Villani top-scored for Trent with a run-a-ball 25 before slicing a looped delivery from Wellington to extra cover.

The talented tweaker then removed rival captain Nat Sciver (19 off 30 balls) and compatriot Alana King (one off three balls) in quick succession to leave the Rockets reeling at 6/82.

Trent’s lower-order was unable to revive the innings, adding just nine runs from their last 21 deliveries for the loss of five wickets.

Bell ended up with career-best figures of 4/10 from her 20 balls, wrapping up the innings impeccably by taking two wickets from the final two deliveries.

It ranked as the second-best bowling performance in the short history of The Hundred women’s competition.

Wellington, the Brave’s highest wicket-taker last year, claimed 3/18 from her 20 balls, pushing her competition tally up to 11.

The South Australian tops the list ahead of Bell (nine wickets at 11.11) and New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr (seven wickets at 14.42).

“That was pretty close to perfect, to be honest,” Southern Brave captain Anya Shrubsole confessed after the 10-wicket triumph.

“I thought all of the bowlers were outstanding — Lauren and Wello with seven wickets between them.

“We’d obviously like to go one better. We’re a stronger unit than we were last year; we played some good cricket then but just had a nightmare day (in the final).

“That can happen. We can’t dwell on that — it might happen again, it might not. We’ll worry about that when we get to it.”

Georgia Adams and Amanda Jade Wellington of Southern Brave. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The Brave chased the measly 89-run target with 44 balls to spare, with opener Smiriti Mandhana (57 not out) and Danni Wyatt (36 not out) sharing an unbeaten 94-run partnership for the first wicket.

“I don’t know whether there’s a more potent batting combination in the women’s game in a franchise tournament,” former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull told Sky Sports.

“You’ve got left-hand, right-hand. Mandhana is one of the loveliest players to watch, she just oozes class, and then Wyatt just seemed to take over at the back-end once the powerplay was done.

“Mandhana plays shots all round the ground, and she doesn’t do it brute force. She does it with pure timing, and when she races to 30 off 20 balls and you don’t really notice.

“And I don’t think there is a woman in the game who hits the ball better down the ground off the spinners.”

King leaked 23 runs from her 10 wicketless balls during the demolition.

The Southern Brave is one victory away from booking a spot in the final. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Wellington was the highest wicket-taker during last summer’s Women’s Big Bash League with 23 scalps in 17 matches for the Adelaide Strikers.

The 25-year-old made her long-awaited return to international cricket in March, representing Australia twice during the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

She has played 23 matches for Australia since making her international debut in 2016, accumulating 30 wickets across formats.

The Brave remain unbeaten after five matches, sitting comfortably on top of the ladder with one group stage match left.

They will next face the North Supercharger at Leeds on Wednesday, with the first delivery scheduled for 8.30pm AEST. A victory would book their place in the final.

Originally published as Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington wreaking havoc in The Hundred