The Hundred 2023: Sam Curran holds nerve as Oval Invincibles edge London Spirit in final-ball drama
Chasing 190, Spirit had been given every chance after a flying start from Adam Rossingotn (61 off 32) but needing six off the last delivery looked to have fallen short when Matt Critchley could only drive Curran down the ground for one.
However, with the home side’s celebrations underway, the players were recalled after the third umpire ruled that the seamer had overstepped. With the two-run no-ball penalty, that left the visitors needing just three to win off the rebowled final delivery but Curran’s yorker proved too good for Chris Wood, who was skittled to give Oval a dramatic two-run triumph.
A series of washouts have left the men’s table particularly congested as the competition passes its halfway stage, with just three points separating all eight teams heading into the campaign’s second London derby. Victory for Oval, however, now sees them move four points clear at the top and even with the majority of their rivals holding a game in hand, Sam Billings’s men look firmly on track for a top-three finish, which would guarantee a place in the Eliminator at the very least.
Earlier, Will Jacks had offered a timely reminder of his ability with two key wickets and score 69 off just 42 balls, his best display year’s tournament so far coming little more than 12 hours before England name their squads for the upcoming ODI and T20 series against New Zealand. Tomorrow’s announcement will offer a key indicator as to Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott’s plans for the autumn’s 50-over World Cup defence in India, with Jacks among the players on the fringes of the England set-up hoping to stake a claim for that tournament.
The opener’s innings set the Invincibles on their way to the highest Hundred score at the Oval, sharing a stand of 79 with Jason Roy before Heinrich Klaasen’s unbeaten 46 and Curran’s cameo of 35 from just 17 balls helped the home side accelerate.
Seamer Chris Wood and spinner Liam Dawson were particularly expensive, leaking 100 runs in 40 wicketless balls between them as Jacks hit nine boundaries in a blistering display that takes him to the top of the tournament’s run-scoring charts.
Jacks made England debuts in all three formats last winter and while his most impressive contribution came in taking six-for on Test debut, it is in white-ball cricket that the Surrey man has appeared closest to making a permanent breakthrough. The 24-year-old made only 27 runs across his two ODI innings to date, both during this year’s tour of Bangladesh, but has enjoyed several productive years in domestic and franchise cricket around the world to push his case and only missed out on a first IPL gig this year after picking up a hip injury on England duty.
Ben Stokes’s expected return will add to the squeeze on spots in England’s 50-over squad, which is capped at 15 players plus three travelling reserves for the World Cup.
There are, however, places up for grabs in the T20 side, with Alex Hales recently retired and ODI mainstays Joe Root and Roy out of the picture in the shorter format. If selected, a run of good form in the four T20s against New Zealand that start England’s belated white-ball summer could yet strengthen Jacks’s World Cup claims.
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