Jordan Cox batted like a man possessed at the Oval in London. Jordan Cox batting at 3 scored a breath-taking unbeaten 86 that drove the defending champions Oval Invincibles forward and helped them post a massive score before an all-round bowling effort gave them a huge win. Batting first, Oval rode on Jordan Cox‘s 86* off 29 balls and contributions from players around him meant Oval made 226/4 in 100 balls.
In the defence of this target, Tom Curran picked up 4 wickets while Jason Behrendorff picked up 3 wickets as Oval restricted Welsh Fire to 143 all out despite a half-century from Jonny Bairstow who tried his best with bat in hand. In the end, the target was too much as it was a Jordan Cox show at the Oval.
Jordan Cox’s Unbeaten 86 fires Oval Invincibles to 226/4
Put into bat first, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye came out to open the batting for Oval Invincibles while David Payne had ball in hand for Welsh Fire. Payne bowled a decent first set even as the fielding team burnt a review over Will Jacks for LBW appeal. Matt Henry came to bowl the next set and was greeted by Jacks for two consecutive boundaries. Muyeye got into the act as he smashed Payne for back-to-back maximums to end the third set.
Ajeet Dale came onto bowl next as Muyeye greeted him with a boundary. Dale gifted 5 wides away to the batting team while Jacks also hit him for a boundary. Jacks then took the attack to Henry in the final set of powerplay hitting him for two boundaries and a maximum off the set. After 25 balls of powerplay, Oval Invincibles were 54/0 as Paul Walter was introduced after the powerplay.
Muyeye greeted Walter with a boundary. Chris Green came into the attack next. Jacks hit Green for a boundary while Muyeye also hit Green for a boundary as runs were flowing thick and fast for the home side. Saif Zaib came into the attack and Muyeye hit him for a boundary as well before Zaib provided the breakthrough for Welsh Fire getting rid of Muyeye for 33 off 15 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Zaib bowled it short and sliding in, Muyeye attempted to pull it over deep backward square leg but didn’t time it well enough. David Payne took a good catch on the fence as the first wicket finally fell. Jordan Cox came out to bat next. Cox made his intentions clear as he hit a boundary off Paul Walter. Henry got rid of the other opener as Jacks was dismissed for 38 off 28 balls with 6 fours and a maximum to his name.
Henry bowled it short outside off, Jacks looked to pull but he got it high on the bat and skied the ball towards midwicket. Chris Green ran in from the fence and dived forward to complete the catch. Sam Curran came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary. After 50 balls at the halfway stage of the innings, Oval Invincibles were 89/2. Curran managed to get a boundary away off Dale due to sloppy work from Stephen Eskinazi. Chris Green came back and bowled a miserly set.
Cox was in his zone as he smashed Dale over deep midwicket for the maximum as the 100 came up in 61 balls. Cox did not stop here as he smashed back-to-back maximums off Dale and hit another maximum over deep third as he was dealing in sixes at the moment. Cox then took Walter on by hitting him for a boundary followed by another maximum. Sam Curran joined in the fun as well as he smashed Chris Green for consecutive maximums as Oval Invincibles reached 151/2 in 75 balls.
Cox was then dropped by Dale off Payne and this proved to be really costly. Curran managed to get Payne away for a boundary. Jordan Cox soon reached his half-century as he smashed Paul Walter for the maximum and got there in 21 balls. He did not stop here as he smashed another back-to-back sixes to make it 3 in a row off Walter. Chris Green game Welsh Fire something to cheer about as he got rid of Sam Curran for 34 off 19 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Green bowled from around the wicket length ball at the middle and leg stump, Sam came down the track and swung his bat but failed to find the distance. Steve Smith settled underneath it at widish long-on and took it easily. Donovan Ferreira came out to bat next and got off the mark with a maximum off Green and followed that up with another boundary through square leg. Cox then hit Henry for a boundary as 200 came up for Oval Invincibles in 91 balls. Ferreira hit a maximum off Henry but the bowler hit back getting rid of Ferreira for 18 off 6 balls with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name.
Henry cramped the batter for room with a short ball at off-stump. Ferreira went for the pull shot and mistimed it. He found Steve Smith at long-on who took his second catch of the day. Tom Curran came out to bat next. Curran hit Payne for a boundary while Cox was back to dealing with sixes as he hit Payne for consecutive sixes and a brace to end the innings. Cox remained unbeaten on 86 off 29 balls with 3 fours and 10 sixes to his name. while Tom Curran’s unbeaten 5 off 3 balls had a boundary in it. 12 extras given by the fielding side as Oval Invincibles finished with the highest score in Hundred history putting up 226/4 in 100 balls.
Matt Henry picked up a couple of wickets as he finished with 2/39 in 20 balls. Chris Green picked up a wicket and finished with 1/42 in 20 balls. Saif Zaib picked up 1/6 in 5 balls. The rest of the bowlers were wicketless and went the journey. It meant Welsh Fire needed a massive 227 runs to win off 100 balls.
Tom Curran, Jason Behrendorff helps Oval skittle out Welsh Fire for 143
Chasing 227 for an improbable win, Stephen Eskinazi and Steve Smith came out to open the batting for Welsh Fire while Jason Behrendorff had ball in hand for Oval Invincibles. A perfect start for Oval Invincibles happened as Jason got rid of Eskinazi for a golden duck first ball of the chase. Jason bowled a length ball from over the wicket angling outside off, Eskinazi went for a square drive and Muyeye dived to his right from backward point and grabbed the spectacular low catch. Jonny Bairstow came out to bat next.
Saqib Mahmood came to bowl the next set as Steve Smith got a boundary away before the bowler gifted away four leg byes. Jason was on a roll as he got rid of Steve Smith for 7 off 9 balls with a boundary to his name. Jason bowled a good length ball at the off-stump, Smith looked to loft it over long-on but mistimed it up in the air. It swirled up in the air as Jordan Cox called for it to run back to dive forward to take a stunning catch. Luke Wells came out to bat next.
Wells got off the mark with a boundary and hit a maximum off Behrendorff as well. Sam Curran was welcomed into the attack with a streaky boundary from Bairstow. Tom Curran bowled a decent last set of powerplay as Welsh Fire were 38/2 after the first 25 balls of powerplay. Rashid Khan came into the attack post the powerplay. Wells launched him over deep midwicket for the maximum. Wells once again hit Rashid for a boundary to put pressure on the veteran bowler.
Bairstow then hit Saqib Mahmood for a boundary and followed that up with a classy maximum in the same set. Rashid Khan had his first wicket of the day as he dismissed Luke Wells for 29 off 18 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Rashid bowled a quicker ball at the off-stump in which Wells tried to hit Rashid over midwicket and mistimed it. The ball was in the air as the deep midwicket fielder Sam Curran took a simple catch. Tom Kohler-Cadmore came out to bat next and got off the mark.
Nathan Sowter came into the attack next and was launched by Cadmore for the maximum down the ground. Bairstow managed to get a boundary away off Tom Curran as Welsh Fire at the halfway stage of the chase were 78/3 in 50 balls and needed a mammoth 149 more off the back 50 balls. Kohler-Cadmore then took Rashid Khan on as he smashed him for consecutive sixes and followed that up with another boundary. Bairtsow then got a reprieve as Muyeye put him down at backward square leg off Sam Curran.
Bairstow hit Sam for a maximum as the 100 came up for Welsh Fire in 59 balls. Bairstow hit Sowter for the maximum and he hit another boundary as the 50-run stand came up between Bairstow and Kohler-Cadmore. Bairstow hit another boundary off Sowter as he tried to keep his side in the contest. Soon, Bairstow brought up his half-century off 27 balls. But Tom Curran dismissed the big fish as he got rid of Bairstow for 50 off 28 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Tom bowled a loopy full toss outside off, Bairstow looked to slog it over midwicket but he ended up dragging it into the stumps. Paul Walter came to bat next and was dismissed for a silver duck by Tom who had 2 in the set. Tom bowled it short, slow and angling away. Walter looked to pull but he only got an under edge onto the stumps. Chris Green came out to bat next. Sam Curran then got rid of Chris Green for 1 off 3 balls. Sam bowled length delivery outside leg stump, Green came down the track and looked to drive it straight but Sam plucked out a sharp return catch. Saif Zaib came into bat next.
After 75 balls, Welsh Fire were 125/6 needing an improbable 102 runs off 25 balls. Jason Behrendorff came back into the attack. Zaib managed to get a boundary away off Jason but the bowler hit back getting rid of Zaib for 5 off 4 balls with a boundary to his name. Jason bowled it short outside off, Zaib crouched and looked to pull it through fine leg but he got a feather edge to Sam Billings who does the rest and took the catch. David Payne came out to bat next.
Saqib Mahmood came back and got rid of Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 31 off 16 balls with one four and 3 sixes to his name. Mahmood bowled it short and angling down leg, Kohler-Cadmore looked to pull but he got some glove on it. Sam Billings walked to his left and dived low to take the catch. Matt Henry came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary. Henry managed to get a boundary away off Rashid Khan.
Tom Curran came back and got rid of David Payne for 1 off 5 balls. He bowled it short of a length angling in, Payne looked to slog it over midwicket but he skies it to backward point where Nathan Sowter took the catch. Ajeet Dale came out to bat next and was gone first ball as Tom finished with 4 wickets. He bowled it full outside off, Dale drilled it aerially to short extra cover where Sam took a very smart catch to his right. Henry remained unbeaten on 11 off 6 balls with 2 boundaries to his name as Welsh Fire were bowled out for 143 in 93 balls. 8 extras given by the fielding team.
Tom Curran was the pick of the bowlers for Oval Invincibles with figures of 4/15 in 18 balls. He was ably supported by Jason Behrendorff who finished with 3/20 in 15 balls. Saqib Mahmood bowled well for his 1/21 in 15 balls while Sam Curran chipped in with 1/20 in 15 balls. Rashid Khan also picked up a wicket going for 36 runs in 20 balls. Nathan Sowter went for 25 in 10 balls and remained wicketless.
So, a win by 83 runs for Oval Invincibles and for his breath-taking innings and a great catch, Jordan Cox was awarded Player of the Match. Oval the defending champions are on top of the points table with 12 points from 4 games while Welsh Fire are now in 7th place with 4 points from 4 games.
What Lies Ahead
Two more games comes our way in Hundred 2025 as it is Sunday today. First up it’s Manchester Originals hosting Northern Superchargers at 7PM IST from Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. This will be followed by Birmingham Phoenix hosting London Spirit at 10:30PM IST from Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Double the action, double the fun and drama from Hundred 2025 as it is Super Sunday. The league is past its halfway stage as teams will be jostling for positions as the business stage comes for the Hundred 2025. It will be exciting for everyone involved in Hundred 2025.
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