Chris Jordan turned hero yet again as Southern Brave (SOB) pipped London Spirit (LNS) by four runs at Lord’s. The England all-rounder successfully defended 11 runs in the final five balls to help his team register a second consecutive win in the Hundred. London Spirit will be disappointed as they threw away the advantage after cruising towards the target halfway into the run-chase.
London Spirit, who opted to bowl first, ensured in-form James Vince depart early in the innings. Chris Wood grabbed the prize wicket of the captain in his first set of five. Quinton de Kock continued his onslaught, scoring a six and a four off Mohammad Nabi. However, Blake Cullen struck in his first ball to send the South African back to the pavilion.
The runs didn’t come thick and fast for Southern Brave. They crossed 50 only in the 46th ball. Conway tried to up the tempo with two boundaries in four balls, but Roelof van der Merwe dismissed the Kiwi batsman in his first set of five. Meanwhile, the new batsman George Garton lasted just seven balls.
A quickfire 35-run stand between Alex Davies and Ross Whiteley and 13 runs from the final five balls took Southern Brave to 145 in their 100 balls. Davies departed after a well-made half-century, and Whiteley and Colin de Grandhomme, too, added valuable runs.
London Spirit openers Adam Rossington and Josh Inglis scored 68 runs in the powerplay. The Aussie scored just 16, while his partner Rossington was in carnage mode. The 28-year-old hammered two sixes and as many fours off Grandhomme’s first set of five. Garton and Liam Dawson were at the receiving end of some excellent hitting by Rossington.
Southern Brave found a way back into the game after Garton claimed Rossington and Joe Denly in successive balls. Eoin Morgan denied the pacer a hat-trick but ran himself out for just 5. Inglis and Ravi Bopara came together, and London Spirit seemed to be in control of the run-chase.
Jordan broke the 15-run stand as Bopara was caught at square leg by Davies. With a six off Garton, Inglis brought up his half-century, and they still needed 18 off 15 balls. However, de Kock took a stunning one-handed catch to remove Inglis.
Tymal Mills got the wicket of Nabi and conceded just three runs in his final set of five. London Spirit needed 11 from the last five balls. Roelof van der Merwe smashed Jordan’s second ball to the boundary, leaving six to win from the three deliveries. But de Kock ran out Cullen in the penultimate ball of the match. In the last ball, needing five, Mohammad Amir couldn’t find the boundary.
SOB 145/6 in 100 balls (A Davies 50, Q de Kock 27; B Cullen 2/27)
LNS 141/7 in 100 balls (J Inglis 55, A Rossington 45; C Garton 2/30, C Jordan 2/32)
Player of the Match
Jordan emerged the match-winner for Southern Brave in a second straight game. However, he showed off his death bowling skills this time around. The 32-year-old conceded 22 from his first ten balls and came back into the attack when London Spirit needed 18 off 15 balls, with Inglis and Nabi still at the crease.
The Aussie was gone in the first ball, and he conceded just four runs from five deliveries. In his final set of five, Jordan gave away a boundary in the second ball. With five needed from two, Jordan bowled two dot balls to grab the victory for his team.
Top Fantasy XI
A Davies (83 pts), J Inglis (83 pts), Q de Kock (73 pts), G Garton (69 pts), A Rossington (67 pts), C Jordan 66 pts), B Cullen (55 pts), R van Merwe (45 pts), M Crane (37 pts), T Mills (35 pts), C Wood (31 pts)
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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