Northern Superchargers registered an important 16-run win over defending champions Oval Invincibles to climb upwards in the points table and qualify for the playoffs alongside the defending champions. Northern Superchargers were a determined lot and were eager to win the contest and played the better game. Batting first, Northern Superchargers rode on Harry Brook’s brilliant 50 alongside important contributions from Zak Crawley and David Miller to post 198/4 in 100 balls.
In reply, Northern Superchargers kept taking wickets at regular intervals and held off a brilliant counter-attacking innings from Donovan Ferreira and others chipped in for Oval as well. But Tom Lawes and Jacob Duffy’s 2-wicket haul made sure that Oval fell short of the target for a rare loss as the Superchargers got the win to get to 20 points from 7 games and climb upwards to 2nd in the points table while Oval still remained at the top.
All-round batting effort powers Northern Superchargers to 198/4.
Put into bat first, Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan came out to open the batting for Northern Superchargers while Jason Behrendorff had ball in hand for Oval Invincibles. Crawley made his intentions clear and got off the mark with a boundary down the ground. Jason bowled the next set as well as Malan hit him for a boundary as well. Jordan Clark came to bowl next and was dispatched by Crawley for back-to-back maximums as he looked in the mood.
Dawid Malan managed to get a streaky boundary off Jason. Sam Curran came to bowl the last set of powerplay as Crawley welcomed him with a boundary. But the batter was in the mood as he hit Curran for two more boundaries off consecutive balls. After 25 balls of powerplay, Northern Superchargers were well-placed at 49/0. Nathan Sowter came onto bowl after powerplay as the 50 came up for the home side in 26 balls. Malan managed to get a boundary away off Sowter.
Will Jacks came into the attack next as Crawley helped him along for a boundary through fine leg. Malan hit Sowter for a boundary down the ground through long-on. Crawley then stepped out and whacked Sowter for the maximum but Sowter finally broke the opening stand getting rid of Crawley for 49 off 25 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Sowter delivered on the fuller side of good length near the off-stumps. Crawley wanted to chip it towards long-off for a single but Jordan Cox charged in from the boundary to take a good catch. Daniel Lawrence came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Gus Atkinson came into the attack for the first time this season. Lawrence slammed him for a boundary over mid-off. Sowter bowled a tight 10th set as Northern Superchargers reached 88/1 after 50 balls at the halfway stage of the innings.
Tom Curran came onto the attack and immediately got rid of Daniel Lawrence for 8 off 8 ball with a boundary to his name. Tom from over the wicket on a length outside off, Lawrence didn’t move his feet and looked to whip across the line and got a big inside edge and it deflected onto his stumps. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Malan launched Tom over square leg for the maximum.
Will Jacks against the run of play got rid of Dawid Malan for 34 off 21 balls with 4 fours and a six to his name. Will Jacks from around the wicket and bowled it from wider of the crease on a length around the off-stump slightly slower through the air. Malan got low and looked to play the reverse sweep and was early through the stroke and got an under edge as the ball rolled onto the base of the stumps. David Miller came to the crease next and got off the mark.
Brook launched Atkinson for a maximum over extra cover as the 100 came up for Northern Superchargers in 61 balls. Brook was in his zone as he smashed another maximum over backward square leg. He hit Atkinson this time for a boundary through backward square leg. Sowter bowled a decent set and finished his spell as well. Brook then took on Jacks and deposited him over long leg and then sliced him behind square on the off-side for a boundary. After 75 balls, Northern Superchargers were 137/3.
Brook then hit Tom Curran over midwicket region for a maximum. David Miller soon joined the party as he hit Sam Curran over deep square leg for the maximum as the 150 came up for Northern Superchargers. Brook finally reached a breath-taking half-century off 24 balls with a maximum off Tom over backward point. Miller took Tom Curran on as well and deposited him over midwicket for the maximum. Harry Brook hit Sam Curran for a boundary over mid-on. Finally, Sam had the last laugh removing Harry Brook for 56 off 27 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes to his name.
Sam bowled a good length delivery outside off-stump, Brook cleared his front leg and looks to smash it downtown. The bat handle turned in his hands and he ended up slicing it high in the air towards deep extra cover where Nathan Sowter took a good catch running to his right. Michael Pepper came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Pepper managed to get a boundary away into the gap between keeper and short third man for a boundary.
David Miller was in his zone as he hit Tom Curran for a hat-trick of maximums in the final set. A run out was missed off the final ball as a brace was completed as Northern Superchargers ended with 198/4 in 100 balls. David Miller’s unbeaten 37 off 16 balls consisted off 5 sixes while Michael Pepper’s unbeaten 6 off 3 balls consisted off a boundary. 8 extras given by the fielding side.
The bowlers struggled for Oval Invincibles. Nathan Sowter was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 1/29 in 20 balls. Sam Curran finished with 1/33 in 15 balls. Will Jacks chipped in with 1/25 in 15 balls. Tom Curran picked up a wicket but went for 50 runs in 20 balls. Gus Atkinson bowled 10 balls and gave away 25 runs. Jordan Clark gave 14 runs in 5 balls while Jason Behrendorff gave away 20 runs in 15 balls. This meant Oval Invincibles needed a mammoth 199 to win off 100 balls.
Tom Lawes & Jacob Duffy’s 2-wicket hauls restricts Oval Invincibles to 182/7.Â
Chasing 199 for the win, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye opened the batting for Oval Invincibles while Jacob Duffy had ball in hand for Northern Superchargers. Jacks started the innings on the right note hitting a boundary off Duffy through a square drive. He hit another glorious boundary off the same bowler. Matthew Potts came into bowl next as Jacks welcomed him with a streaky boundary.
Muyeye joined in the fun as he hit a boundary off Duffy. Duffy gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Jacks then hammered Potts for a maximum over midwicket. Duffy struck and got the first breakthrough of the innings getting rid of Jacks for 25 off 11 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name.
Duffy bowled from over the wicket full and following the batter who backed away down leg. Jacks looked to whip across the line and closed his bat face early. He got a big leading edge and ballooned to backward point where David Miller made no mistake. Jordan Cox came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary off Duffy through third man. At the end of 25 balls of powerplay, Oval Invincibles were 44/1.
Adil Rashid came into the attack post the powerplay and as usual bowled a decent set. Samit Patel came onto bowl next and was punished by Muyeye for a boundary through short fine leg. Tom Lawes came into the attack as Muyeye hit him for a boundary through backward point. But Lawes had his revenge getting rid of Muyeye for 24 off 21 balls with 3 fours to his name.
Lawes bowled a back of a length delivery around the off-stump, Muyeye looked to swipe across the line and didn’t time it well enough to clear the square leg fence. Potts rushed to his left from deep backward square leg and took a good catch. Sam Curran came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Sam Curran got his first boundary away as he hit Patel for a boundary through cover point.
Cox slapped Lawes away for a boundary through mid-off. At the end of 50 balls in the chase at the halfway stage, Oval Invincibles were 80/2 and needed a further 119 off 50 balls with 8 wickets in hand. Adil Rashid came back into the attack. Jordan Cox smashed Rashid for a maximum down the ground. Lawes then got the form batter Jordan Cox out for 24 off 16 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name.
Lawes bowled a pace on delivery short into the wicket, Cox wanted to pump it over the off-side boundary but failed to catch it in the meat of the blade. Miller came charging in from cover point and flung himself to take the catch. Captain Sam Billings came out to bat next and got off the mark. Sam Curran then took on Samit Patel and deposited him for a maximum over midwicket. The 10o came up for Oval Invincibles in 62 balls. Curran hit another full toss for a boundary through midwicket and then hit the same bowler for a maximum over long-off.
Adil Rashid bowled a decent set as the required rate was climbing for the defending champions. Matthew Potts came back and removed Sam Curran for 30 off 19 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Potts delivered a fuller side of good length delivery with pace off the ball outside off-stump slanting away from the batter. Curran stretched towards it and got an outside edge where Pepper dived to his left and took the catch. The replays were called in to check for the catch but it was a clean catch and TV umpire agreed after much thought. Donovan Ferreira came out to bat next and got off the mark.
Ferreira hammered Potts over extra cover for a maximum as Oval Invincibles reached 124/4 in 75 balls and now needed 75 runs off 25 balls. Lawes bowled a decent set and completed his impressive spell with the ball. Ferreira then took on Samit Patel and hit him for consecutive boundaries to start the 17th set. He hit the last two balls of the set for a maximum and then a boundary. 19 runs came off the over as Samit Patel finished his expensive spell.
Ferreira was in no mood to give up for his side as he smashed Duffy for back-to-back maximums as Oval crossed 150. But Duffy delivered the killer blow getting rid of Ferreira for 41 off 15 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Duffy bowled a back of a length delivery outside off-stump, Ferreira wanted to pull it towards midwicket but rather ended up hitting it high in the air. Crawley barged in from long-on to take the catch. Tom Curran came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace.
Curran sliced Duffy away for a boundary to the deep third boundary. Billings managed to hit Adil Rashid for a boundary by playing the reverse sweep. Sam Billings then got run out for 13 off 11 balls with a boundary to his name trying to get back for the second run as Lawrence did well at midwicket to throw the ball as the keeper did the rest. Jordan Clark came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace.
We had another run out to end the contest as Jordan Clark while attempting a second run was short of his ground as the Duffy Pepper combination did the run out at the striker’s end as Clark fell for 5 off 3 balls. Tom Curran remained unbeaten on 8 off 4 balls with a boundary to his name as Oval Invincibles finished with 182/7 in 100 balls. 12 extras given by the fielding side.
Tom Lawes was the pick of the bowlers for Northern Superchargers finishing with 2/22 in 20 balls. Jacob Duffy finished with 2/39 in 20 balls. Matthew Potts finished with 1/33 in 20 balls. There were two run outs in the innings. Adil Rashid as usual bowled a miserly spell of 0/29 in 20 balls while Samit Patel finished with 0/53 in 20 balls. Northern Superchargers won by 16 runs and for his explosive half-century captain Harry Brook was awarded the Player of the Match.
With this win, Northern Superchargers climbed upwards to second in the points table with 20 points from 7 games same as their opponents Oval Invincibles but behind on Net Run Rate. Oval stays at the top and after yesterday’s games, both teams are officially through to the playoffs.
What Lies Ahead.Â
Another double-header coming our way in Hundred 2025 on this Super Sunday. First up it’s Welsh Fire hosting Trent Rockets at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff at 7 PM IST and this will be followed by Manchester Originals hosting Birmingham Phoenix at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester at 10:30 PM IST.
If Trent Rockets win their game, then we will know our three teams in the playoffs for sure. So, a lot to play for teams that are in action on Sunday as teams will jostle for positions as we enter the last stage of the league stage of Hundred 2025 bringing in loads of excitement for the fans.
Also Read:Â Hundred 2025: Oval Invincibles Consolidate Top Spot After Another Impressive Win.