Oval Invincibles Men set a new record for the highest total in The Hundred with 226-4 as they went on to complete a convincing 83-run victory over Welsh Fire.
England batter Jordan Cox scored a fine unbeaten 86 off 29 balls – hitting 10 sixes – as the Invincibles bettered Manchester Originals’ score of 208-5 which was set against Northern Superchargers three years ago.
Invincibles opening pair Tawanda Muyeye (33) and Will Jacks (38) laid the foundations in the 25-ball powerplay.
Cox then delighted the home support by smashing four sixes off Ajeet Singh Dale, who was making his Hundred debut. Sam Curran added a swift 34 off 19, with back-to-back sixes and four boundaries.
Welsh Fire saw Stephen Eskinazi caught off the first ball of their reply from Jason Behrendorff.
Although Jonny Bairstow set about making a solid 50 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 31 from 16, it never looked like being enough.
The Fire could only make 143 all out, as Tom Curran finished with four wickets from his 15 balls and Behrendorff took three.
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Jordan Cox made an incredible catch in The Hundred match between the Oval Invincibles and Welsh Fire
Invincibles, the two-time defending Hundred champions, move top of the table on net run-rate, with Trent Rockets and Superchargers also having 12 points after four matches.
Moores stars in Rockets’ win over Brave
A brilliant innings on his home county ground by Tom Moores saw Trent Rockets to a four-wicket win over Southern Brave.
Moores, making his first appearance in this year’s competition having only been signed on Saturday as an emergency wicket-keeper replacement, hit 55 in a partnership of 76 with Tom Banton (49) as the Rockets got home with four balls to spare.
Tom Moores scored 55 in 30 balls
The game was delayed during the first innings and players left the field as Adam Hose received medical treatment after a nasty slip on the leg-side boundary which saw him dislocate his ankle.
When play resumed, the Brave looked to accelerate through Michael Bracewell (28) and James Coles. Coles (25 not out) struck Ferguson for two boundaries in the final set to see them reach 140-4, a competitive total on this Trent Bridge surface.
Trent Rockets came flying out of the blocks – Tom Banton hit the first two balls of the chase for four and then reverse-swept Coles for six from the fourth.
Jordan Thompson picked up Joe Root for six before Jofra Archer was pulled for fours by both Banton and Rehan Ahmed as the Rockets closed the powerplay on 41-1.
Ahmed (13) then went well caught by Roy off Tymal Mills and Max Holden (6) caught by Archer off Danny Briggs.
Bracewell removed Willey (1) with his first ball but was later deposited over midwicket for the first of Tom Moores’ five sixes, Moores’ arrival shifting the momentum of the match.
Mills picked up his 50th wicket in The Hundred, but it came too late as the Rockets reached their target.
How do matches work?
- One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.
- Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.
- The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.
- The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
What’s next?
The Hundred continues with another four-match day on Sunday, with Manchester Originals taking on the Northern Superchargers in a women’s and men’s double-header from 11.30am, before Birmingham Phoenix face London Spirit from 3pm – all matches live on Sky Sports.
Brave are back in action on Monday, hosting Oval Invincibles, while Rockets are up against Originals on Tuesday.
Watch every match across the women’s and men’s competitions live on Sky Sports from August 5-31.