Oval Invincibles found a way over the line in an incredible finish against local rivals London Spirit; Watch every match from The Hundred live on Sky Sports; every women's game and selected men's fixtures to be streamed for free
Friday 4 August 2023 13:27, UK
Oval Invincibles edged out London Spirit in their derby match at The Hundred Men after a thrilling finish at Lord's.
Spirit set a target of 132 to win and it looked like they were going to take the honours when Invincibles needed 15 off the last five. However, Sunil Narine produced some stunning batting at the end to give the Invincibles victory by three wickets.
Both sides will meet again later in the tournament as regional rivals play each other twice in The Hundred.
Earlier, Narine produced his custom wizardry with the ball to return two for 14, after fellow spinner Nathan Sowter blew the game open with 3-34.
Adam Rossington (39) and Matthew Wade (37) were Spirit's top scorers on their way to 131. Rossington had
hit three sixes with the hosts capitulating from 81-2 after 47 balls to 131 all out from the last delivery of their innings.
When Sowter and Narine entered the fray it sparked a rapid decline. Leg-spinner Sowter bowled Dan Lawrence second ball and made it two in three when Michael Pepper hit one straight to Gus Atkinson.
Two further sixes from former Middlesex player Rossington briefly threatened to regain the initiative for the hosts, but Sowter put pave to that courtesy of the first of two great catches from Jordan Cox.
Narine meanwhile had been typically frugal and was rewarded for his stump-to-stump bowling as first Daryl Mitchell and then Matt Critchley were trapped lbw, the second almost playing no shot.
Thereafter, only Matthew Wade's restrained 37 provided any resistance, with Tom Curran's 1-22 ensuring there would be no late rally from Spirit.
With skies darkening again Jason Roy glanced the first ball of Invincibles' innings for four, but Dan Worrall got revenge on the opener soon afterwards.
Worrall, who took 2-23, then produced an unplayable ball to have Heinrich Klaasen caught at slip by Critchley.
With the dangerous Will Jacks having been removed by Jordan Thompson in the meantime, Invincibles were wobbling at 24-3.
Sam Curran's response was to launch a counterattack with a flurry of boundaries, adding 47 with Cox before the latter departed to a diving catch by Rossington off Ellis.
Curran fell lbw to Critchley for 34 with 39 still needed and Spirit were still in it when Ellis castled Tom Curran. Skipper Sam Billings hit a six into the hospitality boxes but holed out to Pepper and when Wade miraculously parried a ball on the boundary back into play, turning a six into just two, Spirit looked favourites.
But, Narine had the final word in a breathless finish as he blasted 12 runs from three balls, including a six which cleared the fielders.
Two wickets in the first two balls of the innings for Pakistan ace Shaheen Shah Afridi set Welsh Fire on their way to their first Hundred victory since 2021.
With just 40 balls per side, due to a rain delay, Manchester Originals fell nine runs short of the Welsh Fire total of 94, despite Jos Buttler's unbeaten 37 off 18 and Max Holden's 37.
Afridi set the tone at the top, while fellow Pakistan bowler Harris Rauf went for just 15 in the middle stages to put Originals behind the run rate.
Welsh Fire's total was built around a superb 57 off 23 by opener Luke Wells allowing celebrations at Sophia Gardens as the hosts started with a win after losing every game last season.
Wells found gaps in the field, though Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir temporarily put the brakes on proceedings until his last four balls went for 17. Wells would eventually depart for an excellent 57 when he was caught on the boundary by Jamie Overton off Josh Little as he went for another six. Fire settled for 94 off their 40 balls as Tom Hartley's final five balls of the innings went for only seven runs, including the wicket of Phillips.
There was pressure on Originals openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler as Fire brought in Pakistan opening bowler Afridi to try and reverse their fortunes. He made an immediate impact. His first ball swung in to trap Salt in front before his second ball was a carbon copy to get rid of Laurie Evans. Holden found the swing easier to cope with as Afridi bowled 10 balls straight, conceding 24.
Buttler started quietly before suddenly announcing himself with 10 runs off two balls from David Payne, before smashing another huge six off Pakistan's Harris Rauf. Rauf only went for 15 off his 10 balls, leaving Originals needing 36 off the last 10 balls.
Holden was well caught at deep point by Phillips off the bowling of Willey, but Paul Walter announced his arrival with a huge six over midwicket before departing next ball caught behind. Buttler's late assault was too little too late for Originals.
Oval Invincibles' bid for a hat-trick of women's Hundred title wins got off to a soggy start as their city derby with London Spirit was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Lord's.
Overnight rain, which had already left the outfield damp, returned at around 1pm with puddles quickly forming on the playing surface.
Conditions worsened as the afternoon progressed, leaving umpires James Middlebrook and Jasmine Naeem no alternative but to abandon the match, so both sides received one point each.
It was the same story in Cardiff as Welsh Fire and Manchester Originals were unable to play due to rain in the early game on Wednesday.
The Hundred continues on Thursday with two more games.
Northern Superchargers women take on Birmingham Phoenix women at 3pm at Headingly, before the men's sides meet from 6.30pm.
Sky Sports will show all 68 games in The Hundred live this summer. Stream The Hundred and more with NOW
