Northern Superchargers gave Trent Rockets a target of 143 after recovering from Luke Wood's three wickets in eight balls; The Invincibles also thrashed the Originals;watch every Hundred game on Sky Sports; every women's clash and selected men's fixtures streamed for free
Thursday 10 August 2023 10:46, UK
Northern Superchargers made it two wins from their two completed matches in The Hundred as they held off Trent Rockets to win by three runs in Nottingham.
Superchargers were defending 142-5, having recovered from a devastating early burst of 3-8 in 10 balls by Luke Wood.
David Wiese and Brydon Carse added an unbroken 72 from 38 balls, of which 47 came off the last 15 deliveries, including four sixes from the South African all-rounder.
After Alex Hales hit 29 from 22 balls at the top of the Rockets innings, Sam Hain and Daniel Sams took them close but ultimately Reece Topley defended nine off the last five balls to see the Superchargers home.
Wayne Parnell and Callum Parkinson did the damage earlier, taking three and two wickets respectively.
After judging that bowling first was the best option on this pitch, Rockets could not have had a better start, with left-armer Wood delivering back-to-back sets from the pavilion end and hitting the stumps three times with full, swinging deliveries to dismiss Tom Banton, Harry Brook and Matthew Short.
Responsibility sat with Adam Hose to lead a rebuild from 9-3 but after finding the boundary three times he shanked one from Joe Root and was caught at wide long-on.
With Root's off-breaks and canny left-arm spinner Imad Wasim both making scoring difficult, Root picked up a second wicket when a Saif Zaib paddle went wrong.
Superchargers looked in desperate need of a strong finish at 83-5 after 75 and Wiese provided it, hammering four sixes and three fours in a 25-ball unbeaten 54 - albeit having been gifted 10 of those runs by drops on the boundary rope by Hales and Hain.
Carse provided a steadier 33 off 29 to help give the Superchargers bowlers something to defend.
Rockets lost Dawid Malan to ball 13 when he found Brook at deep square-leg off Parkinson but Hales and Colin Munro were quickly into a rhythm, Munro lofting Parkinson over deep midwicket for six before Hales adeptly found the fence four times in five balls against Short's off-spin.
However, both were out in the space of four deliveries to bring Superchargers right back into it as Parnell bowled his second set, Munro slicing to deep-point and Hales aiming an inelegant swipe at one that kept a tad low and scattered his stumps.
It left two new batters at the crease and though Root was one of them, the former England captain lasted only eight deliveries, failing with the reverse sweep as Parkinson grabbed his second wicket.
Hain lofted Parkinson beautifully over cover on the short side and Tom Kohler-Cadmore cleared the long-on boundary off Adil Rashid, leaving 51 required from the final 25 balls.
Hain had made 20 off 12 balls before he and Kohler-Cadmore holed out in the space of four balls.
Sams cleared the leg-side boundary twice off Wiese and Lewis Gregory defied Wiese's brilliant attempted stop to clear the long-on boundary off Parnell.
Sams then perished off ball 98 having made 27 from 14 as he skied to long-on and the Rockets fell four short of their target with three wickets remaining.
Heinrich Klaasen's blistering half-century and a stunning bowling performance from Spencer Johnson fired Oval Invincibles to a thumping victory over the Manchester Originals by a record margin of 94 runs in The Hundred.
South African Klaasen thrashed 60 from 27 balls with six sixes, sharing a stand of 91 for the second wicket with Jason Roy - who made 59 - as the hosts piled up 186-5, Jamie Overton the pick of the visitors' attack with 2-21.
The Originals simply capitulated in reply, with debutant Johnson returning the most economical figures ever seen in The Hundred - three wickets for just one run from a full 20 balls - and Sunil Narine taking 3-12.
Only Overton's late 37 from 21 balls offered any resistance as the visitors were bowled out for 92.
The Hundred's customary introductory flames were overshadowed by early pyrotechnics on the pitch from Invincibles openers Roy and Will Jacks.
The latter made an electric start as he smashed one six over cover before scattering the crowd with another mighty blow as 52 came from the powerplay. There was a sense of relief among the Originals when he departed for 32 off 13.
A huge early six off Walter signalled Klaasen's intent while a second just failed to clear the ground. These were two of five sixes which took Klaasen to 50 in 23 balls. A sixth followed before Josh Little ended the fun.
At that stage Invincibles were threatening the highest ever Hundred score of 208-5 - set by the Originals last season - but they fell away towards the end.
Roy, who successfully reviewed after being given out lbw on 23, was pedestrian in comparison to Klaasen, but nevertheless peppered the ropes in his own accomplished half-century from 34 balls.
He was one of two victims for Overton in the pace bowler's last set as the hosts reached 186.
Jos Buttler produced an early trademark scoop for six in the chase but Johnson cranked up the pressure on his competition debut with 10 balls for one run.
It meant Phil Salt took nine balls to get off the mark and the pressure told as he skied one from Gus Atkinson to Nathan Sowter in the deep.
A paltry 19 came from the powerplay and, while Buttler survived a close shout for a run out, the rate continued to escalate.
Narine's wily spin accounted for Laurie Evans and Max Holden in the same set, the latter making a duck for the second game in a row - victim of a good catch by man of the moment Klaasen.
By this stage the batting malaise had spread to Buttler, who had managed only a run a ball when he holed out at deep mid-on off Sowter.
With his departure the Originals' chances all but ended. Walter followed two balls later and only Overton's late blows saved the visitors from a greater humbling.
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