Chasing 152 for victory, the England captain made an unbeaten 65 from 31 balls to steer her team to a six-wicket victory with three deliveries to spare, inflicting only a second-ever home defeat on Brave.

Fellow England opener Maia Bouchier made 35 from 21 deliveries before she was run out after a mix-up with Wyatt, ending a rapid opening stand of 57.

Wyatt took the attack to Spirit, registering her seventh half-century in The Hundred before she edged behind off Erin Burns.

Georgia Adams (21 from 14) and Chloe Tryon (20 from 13) propelled Brave to 151 for 6 and Spirit made a slow start in reply, Meg Lanning dismissed caught-and-bowled by 16-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman on her Hundred debut.

Georgia Redmayne gave the innings some momentum, making 45 from 31 before being bowled by Charli Knott, who conceded three consecutive boundaries to Knight as Spirit fought their way back into the game.

Knott’s direct hit from mid-off sent the dangerous Dani Gibson on her way, but Knight held her nerve and dispatched Adams to the boundary to seal an impressive victory.

Meerkat Match Hero Heather Knight said: “I tried to get in and then flicked the switch at the back end. Beating the Brave here is really tough to do so I’m really chuffed with how we went today.

“We knew it was a good wicket. They probably got 10 or 15 too many, we dropped a few catches. Danni Wyatt played a remarkable innings, she’s so hard to set fields to. But I knew if we had a set batter, with a quick outfield, we could catch up quickly.

“You can try and overhit early in your innings. It’s about being really clear on the ball you’re trying to hit for four. I didn’t have many at the start but once I was in it felt like I could really put my foot down. The scoreboard sometimes gives you no choice but to do that. It paid off today.”