Ireland opener Gaby Lewis looks set to become the first Irish women to play in The Hundred, as she replaces Smriti Mandhana in the Southern Brave squad for the Brave’s last group match against Oval Invincibles and the final, for which the Brave have already qualified.

Smriti Mandhana will fly home from the UK in order to see her family before India’s tour of Australia; while her Indian teammate Harmanpreet Kaur will also fly home immediately, having sustained an injury to her quad. Manchester Originals have opted not to replace Harmanpreet.

Smriti has been an important, but not critical, part of the Brave’s success in qualifying directly for the final with one round of group matches still to come, having scored 167 runs at an average of 128, making her Brave’s third highest run-scorer after Danni Wyatt (188) and Sophia Dunkley (186).

Her replacement, 20-year-old Gaby Lewis – whose sister, father and grandfather all played for Ireland – is an opening batter with 62 caps, and a highest international score of 71, scored against the Netherlands in 2019.