London [UK], September 1 (ANI): Oval Invincibles continued to live up to their title of invincibles after lifting The Hundred title for the third successive time by pulling off a demolition job at Lord’s against Trent Rockets and clinching a 26-run victory in the final. The night ended with Sam Billings lifting the golden ‘H’ trophy just like the previous two occasions.
The Invincibles have thrived in the tournament by relying on continuity, which has been their winning mantra. When it mattered, Will Jacks (72 off 41) and Jordan Cox (40 off 28) added 87 off 55 balls, propelling them to a fighting total of 168/5. While defending the total, legbreak spinner Nathan Sowter deralied the Trent Rockets’ chase by scalping three wickets in his first seven balls.
The troika of Cox, Jacks and Sowter have been with the Invincibles since the inception, along with captain Billings and head coach Tom Moody. With the title-winning run, the Oval Invincibles became just the seventh side to pull off a ‘three-peat’ in short-form leagues.
Jacks made an early statement by crunching David Willey for a boundary. He then slashed the third ball to become the first man to hammer 1,000 runs for the Invincibles. His opening compatriot, Tawanda Muyeye, perished early after walloping three boundaries and allowed the tournament’s leading run-scorer Cox to leave one last impression.
Cox has been enjoying the form of his life since last month and got off the mark with two rasping cuts. Jacks was handed a lifeline at 28 after dispatching a full toss to midwicket, but the delivery was deemed a no-ball for height. He made the most of the opportunity and reverse-swept Rehan for a boundary before launching him into the upper tier of the Grandstand for a towering maximum.
After the flurry of boundaries from the duo powered the Invincibles to a competitive total, Sowter weaved magic to wrap up the contest. Three years ago, Sowter’s professional career was clouded in uncertainty after Middlesex released him. However, he has become a linchpin for the Invincibles and has reserved his best for the final.
The Rockets were enjoying a walk in the park at 35/0 after 30 balls before Sowter was introduced in the attack. Ten balls later, the Rockets were left threadbare at 38/3, after Root holed out to Jacks, Rehan Ahmed missed a straight delivery to return with a two-ball duck, and Tom Banton dispatched the ball to Cox. The Rockets never recovered from the blow and eventually bundled out on 142/8, falling short of gunning down the target by 26 runs. (ANI)
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