How chess, climbing & boxing help The Hundreds unlikely run-scorer

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Spirit move top with record run victory over Phoenix

London Spirit host Southern Brave on Saturday in the womens Hundred live on BBC iPlayer from 14:30 BST. The mens match is on BBC Two from 18:00.

Most of the leading run-scorers in this years Hundred womens competition could just as easily be a list of the best batters in the world game.

Nat Sciver-Brunt, Phoebe Litchfield, Grace Harris and Meg Lanning are among them.

Another name, although a county player since the age of 14, is more of an unlikely presence on the list. After all, Kira Chathli was unsold when this years draft was done.

"Maybe a holiday with my friends wouldve been nice but I cant complain about a sunny month in London," Chathli tells BBC Sport.

The 26-year-old was signed by London Spirit as Heather Knights replacement when the former England captain injured her hamstring in May.

Given a role at the top of the order, Chathli has delivered 160 runs at a strike-rate of 144.14 in six matches.

"Its gone OK so far," she says, playing down her achievements.

Chathli was still in school when she first played for Surrey.

Though always talented, her career was drifting until it took an upwards turn after signing professional terms with the county last year as part of the new wave of deals for womens players.

Those who have seen her career first hand say the right-hander is hitting the ball harder than ever.

"Generally, lifting weights in the gym has helped so much," she says.

"The S&C [strength and conditioning] coaches will laugh at that because I never used to be very keen on doing it, but it really has helped, just getting fitter and stronger and I can trust the timing of my swing rather than trying to over-hit."

To many people, the lifting weights process means bench presses, bicep curls and drinking protein shakes, but these days things are more cricket specific.

Chathli, who co-founded a cricket coaching academy focusing on young girls in 2020, has worked on her grip strength to allow her to hit boundaries more regularly.

"I used to be quite a keen rock-climber," she says. "Obviously I cant do that any more but that also really helped me.

"I do play quite fearlessly and that has come from doing activities like rock-climbing - anything thats got a bit of adrenaline, really.

"I dont do it now, but I did some boxing at university."

Chathli played 10 matches across two seasons at Oval Invincibles in 2022 and 2023 but has been given a more significant role at Spirit

Having missed most of last year through injury, Chathli began this season with a career-high 95 in the T20 Cup against Hampshire. She also made a match-winning 65 against Warwickshire in the Blast.

With Warwickshire the opponents again in the final, it was Chathli who hit the winning runs in Surreys chase.

"I quite like problem-solving," says Chathli, a chemistry graduate from University College London.

"I used to play chess when I was younger so I enjoy that.

"Im quite good at reading pitches and the pace of the game.

"I like whacking the ball, but I also really enjoy the tactical side of cricket and getting into a battle with the bowler - what are they trying to do, and what can I do to get the better of them?"

Chathlis father is Harry Chathli, the public relations and business expert who served as Yorkshires chair between October 2023 and May 2024.

Her early introduction to the sport came on family trips to India - her father was born in Mumbai - or when watching him play club cricket.

"It was probably a little bit inevitable," she says.

In 2016, Chathli made local news headlines when she became the first female player to score a fifty for the mens teams at Dulwich Cricket Club - a club that has been in existence since 1867.

Her younger brother also scored a fifty in the same match that day, though it later took a turn.

"He smashed the ball straight to extra cover and ran me out," she laughs. "Thats definitely logged in the memory bank."

Nine years on, Chathli made her first fifty in The Hundred in Spirits win against Birmingham Phoenix earlier this month.

At the other end was Australia superstar and Spirit team-mate Harris, as she was when they took Surrey over the line in that Blast final.

"Grace is funny. Shell keep it simple and say, If they bowl length, just ramp it; if its full, just step back and clear it over the top for six," says Chathli.

"Its nice to know her thought process, but thats not really my game.

"Im usually not fussed about milestones, but the fact it was my first [fifty] at the highest level that we have in this country, its hard not to be pretty happy.

"It was nice to prove that I can do it on the biggest stage. To be out there with Grace, it was pretty special."