Mahmood's masterclass spell guides Oval Invincibles to second The Hundred title
Aug 19, 2024
London [UK], August 19 : A fine bowling spell by pacer Saqib Mahmood and top knocks from Will Jacks and Jordan Cox helped Oval Invincibles lift their second successive The Hundred men's title after beating Southern Brave at the Lord's on Sunday.
Saqib was given the 'Player of the Match' award. Sam Curran walked away with the 'Player of the Series' award, scoring 201 runs in six innings with two fifties and picking up 17 wickets.
Brave put Invincibles to bat first. The defending champions lost Jacks (37 in 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Dawid Malan (7) after a fine start, leaving the team at 47/2 in 37 balls.
A 46-run partnership between Cox (25 in 17 balls, with three fours) and star all-rounder Sam Curran (25 in 20 balls, with three fours) took Invincibles near the 100-run mark, which they eventually reached in 72 balls, but they lost Curran, skipper Sam Billings (0) and Donovan Ferreira (5) quickly, leaving them at 102/6 in 76 balls.
In the final few balls left, Tom Curran (24 in 11 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Tom Lammonby (16 in nine balls, with two fours) provided the team with the acceleration they needed, helping Invincibles reach 147/9 in their 100 balls.
Tymal Mills (3/33) and Akeal Hosein (3/34) were the leading bowlers for Southern Brave, while Jofra Archer (2/36) and Chris Jordan (1/24) also bowled well in their 20-ball spells.
During the run-chase, Brave had a brilliant start, with openers Alex Davies (35 in 23 balls, with six fours) and James Vince (24 in 22 balls, with three fours) putting up 58 runs in 43 balls.
Pacer Saqib struck just when Brave was about to touch the 100-run mark, dismissing Leus du Plooy (20 in 14 balls, with two fours), the dangerous Kieron Pollard (0) and Laurie Evans (16), which pushed Brave back in the chase.
Craig Overton (22* in 11 balls, with a four and two sixes) tried fighting back, but Invincibles managed to restrict Brave to 130/7 in 100 balls.
Saqib (3/17) delivered a bowling masterclass to help Invincibles secure their second title. Adam Zampa (2/26) also delivered a brilliant spell.
