The Hundred Men's 2022, Match 2 Review: London Spirit get over the line against Oval Invincibles in a nail biting thriller

London Spirit won a close encounter against Oval Invincibles by just three runs in Match 2 of the Hundred Men’s 2022 tournament. Earlier, the Oval Invincibles opted to bowl first after winning the toss and Zak Crawley gave the London side a quickfire start with an 11-ball 21. Mohammad Hasnain, however, got rid of both the openers while Glenn Maxwell perished for a 16-ball 18.

Dan Lawrence (27) and Eoin Morgan came to the rescue of the London Spirit as they built a partnership of 72 runs for the fourth wicket in just 39 balls. Morgan missed out on his half-century by just three runs nevertheless, he played a splendid knock of a 29-ball 47 which included five fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 162.

Kieron Pollard’s good finish towards the end ensured that the London Spirit crossed the 150-run mark and ended up with 171 for 6 in their 100-ball quota. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for the Oval Invincibles with 2 for 25 in his economical spell and picked up two crucial wickets in the process.

Nathan Ellis’ three-wicket haul ensures a victory despite Danny Briggs late scare

In reply, the Oval Invincibles were off to a horrific start with the loss of Jason Roy for a golden duck in the very first ball of the innings. Will Jacks, Sam Curran and Sam Billings were all removed for low scores inside 20 balls, as the Oval side was reduced to 12 for 4. Jordan Cox and Hilton Cartwright steadied the ship with a 74-run partnership to keep the run chase going until the latter’s blistering innings of a 23-ball 42 came to an end.

Cox and Tom Curran (27) tried getting close to the target however, the equation got quite difficult with 49 required off the last 16 deliveries. Danny Briggs produced a late scare to the innings with a stunning unbeaten 11-ball 29 which included 4 fours and one six. With 17 needed off five balls, Oval got 14 which wasn’t enough and London Spirit managed to pick up a win by three runs in the end. Nathan Ellis bagged the player of the match for his 3 for 28.