Oval Invincibles edged out London Spirit by 30 runs in The Hundred, winning the London Derby. Batting first, Invincibles posted 147 runs in 100 balls, thanks to Sam Curran’s (51* off 22) scintillating knock. In response, Spirit succumbed to Sam Curran (5/16) and Adam Zampa’s (3/22) bowling brilliance, getting bundled out for 117 runs in 95 balls.
Match Summary
- Toss: Sam Billings (OVL) won the toss and opted to bat.
- Oval Invincibles Innings: 147/5 in 100 balls
- Sam Curran: 51*(22)
- Dawid Malan: 38(29)
- Key Bowler: Olly Stone (1/24) in 20 balls
- London Spirit Innings: 117/10 in 95 balls
- Daniel Lawrence: 27 (18)
- Michael-Kyle Pepper: 20(21)
- Key Bowler: Sam Curran (5/16) in 20 balls
Key Moments
Olly Stone Draws the First Blood
The right-arm pacer shared the new ball for London Spirit and made an immediate impact. Stone clean-bowled Will Jacks for a mere two runs on his second ball of the match, providing an early breakthrough for his side. 
Billings Retired Out
The Invincibles skipper came out to bat at number four and took his time to settle on the crease. However, Billings struggled to time the ball after facing sufficient balls in the middle and decided to retire himself out for 17 runs off 22 balls.
Sam Curran’s Scintillating knock
On a strip where other batters struggled to time the ball, Sam Curran came out all guns blazing and rescued his side from a dire situation. The left-hander took the Spirit bowlers to the cleaners, smashing an unbeaten 51 runs off 22 balls, including six sixes. His explosive innings helped his side get close to a 150-run total.
Pepper and Jennings Provide a Decent Start
In pursuit of 147 runs, Michael-Kyle Pepper (20 off 21) and Keaton Jennings (14 off 9) scored briskly, providing a decent start to Spirit in the powerplay. The duo added 39 runs for the first wicket but all of a sudden, both openers returned to the pavilion in quick succession after the powerplay.
Sam Curran’s Breathtaking Bowling
The Surrey all-rounder proved too hot to handle for London Spirit in both aspects of the game. First with the bat and then with the ball, Curran displayed his all-round brilliance at the Home of Cricket. The pacer wreaked havoc with the ball and removed five Spirit batters in his two consecutive sets. In the process, he trapped Liam Dawson, Olly Stone, and Andre Russell off the 89th, 90th, and 91st balls of the match, respectively, to complete a hat-trick of wickets. He is only the third bowler after Tymal Mills and Imran Tahir to take a hat-trick in the Men’s The Hundred competition.
Implications and Future Prospects
Sam Curran was in full mood at the Home of Cricket and single-handedly sealed the game for the Invincibles. The Surrey all-rounder will look to continue this impressive performance throughout The Hundred event. Barring Curran, other Invincibles batters struggled to score briskly in this contest, and skipper Billings had to retire himself out due to poor striking. They need to be more consistent with the bat.
Conversely, London Spirit batters faltered miserably at the tail end of the innings and fell like nine pins. Matthew Critchley, Liam Dawson, and Olly Stone failed to open their account, while Ollie Pope and Daniel Worrall scored in single digits. Shimron Hetmyer took his time to settle at the crease but perished when it came to accelerating the innings. Andre Russell smashed a couple of boundaries but failed to sustain the momentum. Overall, Spirit batters need to fire, and bowlers need to be economical in the slog overs.
Conclusion
Invincibles won the London Derby and with this win, they moved to top of the points table with six points in four games. They will aim to continue this impressive performance in upcoming The Hundred matches and cement their place in the top three.
Conversely, London Spirit have lost three out of four games and are languishing at the penultimate position on the points table. They will need to address their loopholes and return to winning ways in their upcoming The Hundred contests.
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