Channelling Viv and Lara - could Perrin 'dominate' after record century?

The Oval crowd were on their feet.

The long, loud ovation was recognition that they had witnessed something special.

Moments earlier Davina Perrin had picked the gap perfectly with a delicate late cut to bring up an astonishing century.

Having raced to 96 from 41 balls, she knew she was on the brink of a remarkable achievement - historic as it turned out - but far from being overawed by the situation, Perrin maintained the calm and control she had shown all innings.

It was the kind of composure you might expect from a veteran but Perrin's knock of 101 from 43 balls - one that featured 15 fours and five sixes - is all the more spectacular given she is still nine days shy of her 19th birthday.

Make no mistake, this was not just a magnificent innings 'for a teenager', it was a magnificent innings. Full stop.

But the fact that it came from a teenager - a black English teenager, in a knockout game, to lead her side into a Lord's final - makes it all the more exciting.

Whether you are a fan of Northern Superchargers or The Hundred isn't important, if you're an English cricket fan - or a cricket fan, in general - this was an innings to make you stand up and take note.

Perrin has come through the ACE programme, founded by former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent in 2020 in response to the sharp decline of black British players in the professional game.

Five years on, Perrin has become the first black British woman to score a century in a T20 - The Hundred is classed as such for statistical purposes - at professional level.

"She was 13 when I first met her," Rainford-Brent told BBC Sport. "As soon as lockdown was cleared, we went for a net.

"I got the bowling machine out and I told her to hit through the off side, then hit over the top of cover, then down the ground.

"She hit it with power and precision straight away, just nailed it. She had a full 360 game at 13 and I knew she was special."

The ability to play all around the wicket was evident at The Oval as she got herself going by smoking a drive through the covers before effortlessly flicking the ball over square leg for six a few balls later.

There is a flamboyance to Perrin's game - "a good swagger" says Rainford-Brent - and with West Indies legends Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara as inspirations, perhaps that should be no surprise.

"I love Sir Viv's flair. I love Brian Lara's ability to score runs and score big, plus he had that hunger to go and do so. That's all I'm thinking about really," Perrin told Sky Sports.

"My dad always had their YouTube videos up so I've been watching them since I was six or seven years old - I always try to channel them."

The hope for Perrin is she can offer something similar to the next generation.

"It's in moments like these that I'm extra proud, I'm able to take pride in what I've done because we're a minority," she told BBC Sport.

"There's not that many black girls playing in the professional game and I'm hoping now I've set a bit of a platform so more young black girls - and boys, of course - can see they can do it too."

Rainford-Brent added: "She is immensely proud of her heritage, her community. She is 18 and already so invested in being a role model, which says so much about her character."

Perrin's 42-ball hundred is the fastest by an English woman in T20s, and the joint third fastest women's T20 century in a major league or full member T20 international.

"It was just the cleanest of striking and the clarity of mind," former England fast bowler Steven Finn said on BBC Radio Sports Extra.

That kind of combination is likely to get England interested in a hurry.

Charlotte Edwards' side are crying out for the explosive hitting Perrin can provide, especially in the T20 side.

But there is the need for a little restraint because as breathtaking as her century was, she is still a long way from the finished article.

Another fabulous innings, an unbeaten 72 from 40 earlier in The Hundred, was followed by scores of 13, 14, 10, four, three and five in her next six innings.

Imperious as Perrin is when she is on song - and it really is a sight to behold - she is still searching for consistency.

"That's something I'm looking to build on with more experience," she told BBC Sport.

In that run of low scores, the Superchargers opener struggled to impose herself when opposition bowlers hit their straps early.

Let her get off to a flyer, then good luck. But for now, working her way into an innings remains an area for improvement.

Throwing Perrin straight into international cricket might not be wise, but you'd struggle to find anyone who does not see England caps in her future.

"She is so talented, it's ridiculous," said Rainford-Brent said.

"The future is so bright for her, and it's intriguing to see when she'll break into the England side.

When it comes to the impact Perrin might be able to have, Rainford-Brent says you need look no further than current Superchargers team-mate - and perhaps future Ashes rival - to see what is possible.

"I have always been a big fan of Australia's Phoebe Litchfield, too. We've seen how much she has dominated women's cricket recently - that's what is next for Davina," she said.

"This was a reminder to herself, her family, her coaches - this is what she can do. Imagine what she will be in 10 years."