Will Jacks bludgeoned the highest ever score in the Hundred to guide Oval Invincibles to their third straight victory as they beat Southern Brave by seven wickets.
Jacks, who struck 81 in his previous game against Welsh Fire, bettered that effort with a brutal assault on the Brave bowlers at the Oval – hammering an unbeaten 108 from 48 balls to overtake Will Smeed’s 101 for Birmingham Phoenix four days earlier.
The 23-year-old’s innings included eight sixes and 10 fours as the Invincibles coasted home with 18 deliveries unused. It meant a third successive defeat for the inaugural Hundred champions, who laboured to 137 for six against some tight Invincibles bowling – a total that never looked sufficient to defend.
With the south London skies beginning to look overcast, the Invincibles opted to bowl first. That faith was rewarded as Reece Topley struck an early double blow, with Quinton de Kock superbly caught by Rilee Roussouw racing in from the boundary and Alex Davies playing on in the left-armer’s next set.
Marcus Stoinis raised the tempo by pummelling Sam Curran for what turned out to be the only two sixes of the innings as he reached 37 from 27, but the all-rounder succumbed to Mohammad Hasnain’s first delivery, top-edging into the hands of long-off.
James Vince, who shared a partnership of 55 from 43 with Stoinis, looked unusually subdued in his 15 from 22 and, despite a few destructive shots by Tim David (22 from 17) the Brave innings never really gained momentum.
Topley (three for 24) returned to have David caught miscuing a straight drive, but it was Sunil Narine and Tom Curran who really stifled the batters, conceding only 35 between them although both went wicketless.
There was no relief for Jason Roy when the Invincibles launched their chase – the opener’s wretched run of form extended to a third duck in four innings as he was castled second ball by George Garton’s inswinger.
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London Spirit men power past Northern Superchargers
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Adam Rossington smashed the Hundred’s fastest fifty off 15 balls as London Spirit pulverised a 144-run target against Northern Superchargers at Headingley, maintaining their 100% record with a fourth win.
The Spirit’s seven-wicket success with 18 balls remaining meant they already had one foot in the knockout stages at the halfway mark in their campaign after the leg-spinner Mason Crane impressed with two for 23 to restrict the Superchargers to 143 for five.
Spin and pace off did the trick for the Spirit on a used surface, before Rossington looked like he was batting on a different pitch. He hit nine of his first 15 balls to or over the boundary, finishing with 66 off 25.
The home captain, Faf du Plessis, top-scored with 56 off 35 after electing to bat, and the Superchargers have now lost their past three games following an opening-round win. Aside from Adam Hose’s late 30 off 14, Du Plessis was the only Supercharger who looked comfortable as he hit two sixes over long-on and deep midwicket.
But the home crowd’s mood was lifted in the final 20 balls with Hose’s heroics. After the former Supercharger and current Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thompson bowled Du Plessis with a slower-ball full-toss, Hose crashed his first three balls for two fours and six over long-leg.
But it was nothing compared to Rossington’s early assault. Off the bowling of Willey and Roelof van der Merwe inside the first 10 balls of the chase, he crashed three fours and three sixes in seven deliveries, taking the score to 34 without loss. His three sixes came in as many balls off Van der Merwe’s left-arm spin, clobbered over long-on and straight.
The overseas duo Wahab Riaz and Dwayne Bravo were both hoisted over square-leg and midwicket by Rossington, while Craig Miles was dragged over long-on to secure his fifty with a fifth six, eclipsing Supercharger Lyth’s 17-ball effort against Oval Invincibles last week.
Adil Rashid bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond, but even at that early stage in the chase, the points had all-but been secured.
When Rossington picked out deep midwicket off Van der Merwe, trying to hit his eighth six, the Spirit were 113 for two after 52. Glenn Maxwell hit a typically high-octane unbeaten 43 off 25. PA Media
By contrast, Jacks has been in excellent nick and he began by slamming Michael Hogan for two enormous sixes – one of which sailed right out of the ground – before subjecting Stoinis to a similar fate.
Roussouw was required to do little more than admire from the non-striker’s end as the pair put on 56 from 37 – a stand eventually ended by a piece of fielding brilliance from David, scything down the stumps with a direct hit from mid-off to run out the left-hander.
That wicket made little difference to the course of the game and, although Sam Billings fell to a fine diving catch by Vince at mid-off, Jacks brought up his hundred by smashing Rehan Ahmed for six – and gave the next ball identical treatment to seal victory.
Champions beaten by Brave
Georgia Adams, Danni Wyatt and Amanda-Jade Wellington led Southern Brave to a 12-run victory over reigning champions Oval Invincibles in a repeat of last year’s Hundred final.
Adams had won the competition with Invincibles last year, but on Sunday donned the green of Brave to secure a measure of revenge for the away side at the Kia Oval. Taking two for 16, Adams was supported by Wyatt (two for 16) and Wellington (one for 33) as Invincibles were restricted to 141 for seven. Another spinner, Sophia Dunkley, also chipped in with a wicket as the hosts fell shy of Brave’s 153.
Mandhana and opening partner Wyatt made it look very easy in the afternoon sunshine in south London, scoring a series of spectacular boundaries on their way to 41 from the powerplay.
A shift in momentum came though when impressive young Welsh spinner Sophia Smale entered the fray and had Wyatt stumped for 14 in her second set as the opening stand was ended at 63. Mandhana departed shortly after – this time stumped off the bowling of Mady Villiers – and with that came a gear change in favour of Invincibles.
A late flourish from Adams (18) and Freya Kemp (24) lifted Brave’s score, before both were run out thanks to sharp fielding from Invincibles. There was a third run-out on the final ball.
Adams haunted her former teammates on her return to the Oval, claiming the key wickets of the dangerous Lauren Winfield-Hill (25) and Kapp (19).
Ryana Macdonald-Gay hit two huge sixes on her way to an eye-catching 19, but it proved too little too late for the home side.
Northern Superchargers claimed their first victory of this year’s Women’s Hundred as they edged out London Spirit by five runs at Headingley. Spirit’s pursuit of 127 for four was derailed when they lost two wickets in as many balls as star opener Beth Mooney was run out before Danielle Gibson top-edged Alice Davidson-Richards to fine leg.
The Superchargers continued to take wickets at key times to leave Spirit needing 13 off the final five and despite an excellent effort from Sophie Luff the visitors fell short.
Earlier, Bess Heath had hit a superb 57 off 34 deliveries featuring 10 boundaries, digging her side out of trouble to set a target of 128