Oval Invincibles 161 for 5 (Curran 67*, Neesham 57*) beat Manchester Originals 147 for 6 (Holden 37, Jacks 2-11) by 14 runs
Tom Curran brought men’s Hundred glory to south London with a virtuoso all-round performance as Oval Invincibles fought back from the brink to secure their first men’s Hundred title with a 14-run victory over Manchester Originals.
Curran struck 67 not out off 34 balls – his highest score of the competition – as part of an innings-saving stand of 127 off 65 with Jimmy Neesham, who himself struck 57 off 33. The importance of their partnership, the biggest in the history of the men’s competition, could not be understated, coming as it did from 34 for 5 after Jos Buttler had inserted Invincibles upon winning the toss.
Their exploits left Originals needing 162 to avenge their defeat in 2022’s final, and whatever regrets they might have had at the halfway stage would have been short-lived given their performance in Saturday night’s Eliminator. After toppling a far more daunting 197 by seven wickets with three balls to spare against Southern Brave, this was a more manageable peak to scale.
Unfortunately for Originals, when their previous night’s heroes of Phil Salt (who had set up that chase with 47 from 17 balls) and Buttler (who had finished it with an unbeaten 82 from 46) managed just 25 and 11 respectively, the game was as good as done.
Fittingly, it was Tom Curran who made the first breakthrough, extracting Salt at the end of the powerplay to cement his hold on the Match Hero award with figures of 1 for 25 from 20 deliveries. Barring a 22-ball stand of 42 between Jamie Overton and Max Holden, Invincibles rarely doubted thereafter that the trophy would be headed south of the river.
More to follow …
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
