Rashid Khan was doing what he does best and looked a determined man as his 3/11 in 20 balls dismantled London Spirit as the defending champions Oval Invincibles made a winning start to Hundred 2025 with a crushing 6-wicket win with 31 balls to spare. Spirit won the toss and decided to bat first and were bundled out for 80 in 94 balls with Rashid Khan picking up 3/11 in 20 balls and ably supported by Sam Curran who picked up 3/18 in 19 balls.
Chasing 81 for the win, Oval got off to a decent start and were under no run rate pressure. Will Jacks made 24 while Tawanda Muyeye made 18 at the top of the order. Others chipped in as the defending champions got to the target in 69 balls winning by 6 wickets with 31 balls to spare in a one-sided London Derby. Liam Dawson impressed with 2 wickets for 9 runs in 20 balls, but with no pressure of required rate meant it made little difference to the outcome of the match.
Rashid Khan & Sam Curran skittle London Spirit out for 80
Keaton Jennings and David Warner walked out to bat for London Spirit after Kane Williamson won the toss and decided to bat first. Jason Behrendorff bowled two back-to-back sets and gave hardly anything away. The pressure of the run rate got to Keaton Jennings as he was dismissed by Jordan Clark for 5 off 9 balls. Clark bowled a good length delivery from around the wicket into the left-hander. Jennings tried to heave it away and miscued the ball down the throat of Rashid Khan at deep square leg. Captain Kane Williamson came to the crease next.
Williamson got off the mark with boundary driving through extra cover off Clark. Williamson looked like getting into his groove as he hit another boundary off Behrendorff. But Jason had the last laugh getting rid of Williamson the very next ball. Jason dragged the length back and angled across the right-hander. Williamson danced down the ground to loft it over mid-off. He lost his shape though and got the outside edge straight to the right of the keeper where Billings made no mistake. Williamson fell for 9 off 7 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. Wayne Madsen came to the crease next.
Tom Curran bowled a decent last set and at the end of the powerplay of 25 balls, London Spirit were 21/2. Sam Curran was introduced into the attack and he was greeted by a boundary by Warner. But Jordan Clark struck again getting rid of David Warner for 9 off 10 balls with a boundary to his name. Clark bowled fuller delivery outside off, Warner got the ball in his slot and he miscued it straight down the throat of the long-on fielder. Will Jacks took the catch easily. Ashton Turner came to the crease next.
Tom Curran bowled another miserly over before Rashid Khan was finally introduced into the attack. Oval wasted their only review for LBW as Madsen survived a yorker. Madsen hit Rashid for a boundary taking advantage of a bad ball straying onto the pads. But Rashid had his revenge a ball later getting rid of Madsen for 10 off 11 balls with a boundary to his name. Rashid dragged the length back as Madsen tried to reverse sweep the leg break aerially. He got the top edge which flew towards the backward point fielder as Jordan Clark took the catch. John Simpson came out to bat next.
Rashid bowled another set and was hit for a boundary by Ashton Turner. At the end of 50 balls at the halfway stage, London Spirit were 44/4. Nathan Sowter was introduced into the attack and was greeted by a boundary from Ashton Turner. But Sowter had his man as he dismissed John Simpson for 1 off 6 balls. Sowter bowled it at middle and leg with the ball turning away from leg stump. Simpson rocked back and tried to whip it towards square leg but got beaten on the inside edge and the ball wrapped him up on the pads. The batter walked off, but replays showed the ball pitched outside the leg stump, but he did not review. Liam Dawson came out to bat next.
Turner hit Sowter for a boundary through midwicket and deep square leg. But Rashid Khan came back and struck once again as he got rid of Liam Dawson for 1 off 3 balls. Rashid bowled a googly cutting in quickly off the surface after pitching near the off-stump. Dawson did not read the variation and tried to shuffle across to get inside the line and paddle it away. He was beaten on the inside edge and wears a thud on the pad. He reviewed in hope and saw OUT to burn a review as well. Ryan Higgins walked out to bat next.
Sam Curran then struck for Oval Invincibles as he dismissed Ashton Turner the form batter for 21 off 14 balls with 3 fours to his name. Curran bowled a slower delivery into the surface on middle and leg stump. Turner was early into the slog after failing to read the variation. He misconnected it straight down the throat of the deep midwicket fielder as Rashid Khan took the catch. Luke Wood came out to bat next. Will Jacks came into the attack as more spin was introduced and gave hardly anything away.
Jason Behrendorff bowled a decent set and completed his set as after 75 balls, London Spirit were reeling at 65/7. Ryan Higgins broke the shackles by hitting back-to-back boundaries to Sam Curran but Sam eventually got rid of Luke Wood for 5 off 7 balls. Sam bowled it fuller at the leg stump line, Wood miscued the flick towards the deep midwicket fielder. The batter got it in his arc yet failed to clear the ropes. It was a pace-on delivery from Curran but Wood was late on his stroke and the follow through of the bat was not proper. Rashid took a simple catch as Richard Gleeson came out to bat next.
Rashid came back to bowl his final set and got rid of Higgins for 12 off 14 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. Rashid bowled a length delivery outside off-stump, Higgins tried to reverse sweep and found the fielder at short third man. The ball flew in the air but Higgins failed to clear the inner circle. He tried to take on the googly, but the ball went to the short third man instead inside the circle. Daniel Worrall came out to bat with Spirit 9 down.
Tom Curran bowled a decent 18th set giving only 4 runs away. Sam Curran picked the final wicket to fall as Richard Gleeson fell for 3 off 6 balls. Curran bowled a slower one at the off-stump line, Gleeson tried to whack across the line and the ball whiskered past the inside edge to go back onto the stumps. The off-poles were shattered as London Spirit folded for 80 in 94 balls. Just one extra given by Oval Invincibles bowlers as Worrall remained unbeaten on 3 off 7 balls.
Rashid Khan was the star of the show with ball in hand for Oval picking up 3/11 in 20 balls. He was ably supported by Sam Curran who finished with 3/18 in 19 balls. Jordan Clark bowled well for his 2/8 in 10 balls. Jason Behrendorff bowled a decent spell of 1/17 in 20 balls. Nathan Sowter chipped in with 1/10 in 5 balls. Tom Curran and Will Jacks bowled decently and were not needed to pick up a wicket. It meant that Oval Invincibles needed only 81 runs to win off 100 balls to start their campaign with a win.
Will Jacks, Tawanda Muyeye solid start helps complete the formalities for Oval Invincibles
Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye walked out to open the batting for Oval Invincibles in this chase of 81 runs. Luke Wood bowled a decent first set as there was no pressure of asking rate on the batting side. Muyeye hit the first boundary of the innings as he hit Worrall for a boundary. Muyeye was getting into the groove as he hit Wood for another boundary through short fine leg. Liam Dawson came into the attack while Jacks survived a run out scare with the direct hit missing the stumps.
Worrall bowled a decent fifth set giving away just 6 runs and at the end of the first 25 balls of powerplay, Oval Invincibles were 27/0. Richard Gleeson came into the attack post the powerplay as Jacks hit him for a no look ramp over the keeper’s head for a boundary. Dawson finally got the breakthrough for London Spirit dismissing Muyeye for 18 off 20 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Dawson tossed it up around leg stump and bowled it slower through the air. The ball pitched and turned away from the batter. Muyeye proded forward to defend it but got beaten on the outside edge. He opened his bat face at the last moment in order to steer it down towards short third man. The ball ended up rattling the stumps. Jordan Cox came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Dawson bowled back-to-back sets as this can be done in the tournament.
Will Jacks got a fortunate boundary away off Richard Gleeson who got away with things despite bowling no balls and wides as free hit did not yield anything. Luke Wood bowled another decent set as Oval Invincibles at the halfway stage of 50 balls were 51/1 needing another 30 off 50 balls.
Dawson bowling his final set got rid of Will Jacks for 24 off 24 balls with 2 fours to his name. Dawson bowled from around the wicket short and wide outside off with width offered. Jacks rocked back to cut it away and hits it uppishly to Jennings who took a good catch at backward point. Sam Curran came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary hitting Dawson through the gap at extra cover and mid-off.
Sam was on a roll and wanted to finish things off in a hurry as he hit Worrall for a boundary over mid-on. Worrall got a wicket to his name as he got rid of Jordan Cox for 5 off 9 balls. Worrall bowled a fuller length delivery at the stumps, Cox shuffled far too across the stumps and looked to scoop it over the top of fine leg. He failed to get bat on ball as the ball crashed onto the middle stump. Captain Sam Billings came out to bat next.
Ashton Turner came onto the attack and was greeted with a boundary from Sam Curran before Turner hit back and got rid of Curran for 14 off 9 balls with 3 boundaries to his name. Turner tossed it up around off-stump coming in with the arm with the slope coming into play. The ball kept a bit low as well. Curran swung his bat across the line and got beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashed onto the stumps. Donovan Ferreira came out to bat next.
Ferreira got off the mark with a brace as they were inching towards the target. Billings then hit Luke Wood for a boundary through fine leg before Ferreira finished things off in style by launching Wood over deep midwicket for the maximum as the game was done and dusted in 69 balls. Billings remained unbeaten on 6 off 3 balls with a boundary to his name while Ferreira remained unbeaten on 9 off 5 balls with a maximum to his name as the game was won with 31 balls to spare. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Liam Dawson was the pick of the bowlers for London Spirit with figures of 2/9 in 20 balls. Daniel Worrall got a wicket in his 1/21 in 15 balls. Ashton Turner bowled 5 balls and got a wicket for 7 runs. Richard Gleeson gave away 16 runs in 10 balls while Luke Wood gave away 28 runs in 19 balls without getting wickets either of them. It was too low a score to defend for the Spirit. So, Oval win this game and for his 3/11 and multiple catches, Rashid Khan was awarded the Player of the Match award.
What Lies Ahead
The bandwagon moves to Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester for the second game of the tournament taking place on 6th August at 11PM IST. It is Manchester Originals hosting Southern Brave. Both will want to start with a win but who will get the victory underneath their name remains to be seen.
Lots of Hundred action coming our way as the whole of August will be Hundred with the final scheduled on 31st August. Exciting times ahead for the people in United Kingdom.
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