The Hundred 2025 witnessed its first thriller at Old Trafford where both teams did not give an inch. The pendulum swung from one team to another and in the end, it was the away side Southern Brave that held their nerves to eke out a 1-wicket win with a ball to spare. Southern Brave had to battle it out and really earned the win in the end.
Manchester Originals put up 131/4 on the back of Philip Salt’s 60 and Mark Chapman’s quickfire 22 in the end while Tymal Mills picked up 3/22 with the ball for Brave. In reply, Leus du Plooy made 25 while Jason Roy made 30. Towards the end, Craig Overton’s 18* off 8 balls and Reece Topley’s 4* off 1 ball won the game for Brave by the barest of margins.
Philip Salt’s 60 propels Manchester Originals to 131/4
Put into bat first, captain Philip Salt came out to bat alongside Matthew Hurst. Salt made his intentions clear straightaway as he hit Reece Topley for two cracking boundaries in the first set. Craig Overton bowled the next set and got rid of Matthew Hurst for 2 off 3 balls. Overton bowled a good length delivery around middle and leg stump with the ball holding in the surface a bit. Hurst looked to whip it away on the leg side. He mistimed it from the splice of his blade as Chris Jordan at mid-on took a simple catch. Jos Buttler came out to bat at 3.
Buttler was off the blocks straightaway as he hit Topley for two consecutive boundaries to make his intentions clear as well. Salt then took Overton and hit him for a maximum by getting a top edge over the keeper’s head. He did not stop there as he hit another maximum over deep backward square leg. Chris Jordan was introduced into the attack and was welcomed with a maximum from Salt. At the end of the 25 balls of powerplay, Manchester Originals were 45/1.
Buttler then took on Overton and hit him for a boundary. James Coles came into the attack and bowled a miserly first set. Michael Bracewell then came onto bowl and bowled a decent set. Tymal Mills came into the attack and got the breakthrough as Buttler was dismissed for 22 off 18 balls with 3 fours to his name. Mills bowled it full angling away from the right-hander, Buttler advanced leg side and went through with the shot and ended up slicing it to James Coles at deep extra cover who did well to hold onto the catch as the ball went way high up in the air. Heinrich Klaasen walked out to bat next.
Overton bowled a decent 10th set and at the halfway stage, Originals were 68/2 in 50 balls. James Coles bowled two back-to-back decent sets conceding 8 runs off 10 balls. Heinrich Klaasen finally broke the shackles as he hit Chris Jordan for a boundary over mid-off. Heinrich Klaasen was dropped by Hilton Cartwright off the bowling off Tymal Mills at deep midwicket. But the drop did not prove costly as in the very next ball Klaasen fell for 15 off 16 balls to Tymal Mills with a boundary to his name.
Mills bowled a back of a length delivery around middle and leg stump with pace on the ball, Klaasen looked to work it away on the leg side and folded his bat a bit early. He got a leading edge which balloons up in the air. The keeper Laurie Evans settled underneath it and took the catch. Mark Chapman came out to bat next. Soon, Salt completed his fifty in 35 balls. Manchester were 93/3 in 75 balls. The 100 came up in 79 balls as Bracewell bowled some tight sets without giving much away. Salt then broke the shackles as he hit Mills for a boundary.
Mills hit back the next ball getting rid of Salt for 60 off 41 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name. The short ball did the trick for the bowler as it got big on Salt. He went through with the shot and pulled it away but ended up handing Craig Overton a catch at short fine leg. Lewis Gregory came out to bat next. He got off the mark with a brace.
Jordan hit Gregory on the helmet and there was a mandatory concussion test but no major damage was done to him. Chapman a few balls later hit Mills for a maximum to end his wonderful spell. Chapman hit Chris Jordan for a maximum as well over long-on. The batters scampered through for runs towards the end as Manchester Originals finished with 131/4 in 100 balls. Chapman’s innings had 2 sixes in his unbeaten 22 off 12 balls while Gregory remained unbeaten on 6. Just 4 extras given by the fielding side.
Tymal Mills was the pick of the bowlers for Southern Brave with figures of 3/22 in 20 balls. Craig Overton got a wicket in his 1/28 in 20 balls. The rest of the bowlers remained wicketless and kept things relatively tight. It meant Southern Brave needed 132 to win this match off 100 balls.
Craig Overton, Reece Topley holds nerve as Brave clinch a thriller
Leus du Plooy and James Vince came out to bat for Southern Brave while James Anderson had ball in hand for Originals. du Plooy made his intentions clear by hitting Anderson down to fine leg for a boundary. Anderson bowled back-to-back sets to start proceedings and went at run a ball. Sonny Baker came onto bowl next and was hit for a boundary by Vince. But Baker hit back getting rid of Vince for 6 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name.
Baker bowled it full and straight, Vince tried to play his release shot and cleared his front leg to swing hard. He missed as the ball went onto clatter the stumps. Jason Roy came into bat at 3. Baker continued bowling well till du Plooy broke the shackles by hitting a boundary through the point region. Jason Roy then took on James Anderson by hitting him for consecutive boundaries off his third set. But Anderson came back well and at the end of 25 balls of powerplay, Southern Brave are 29/1.
Lewis Gregory came into the attack post the powerplay and bowled a decent set. Noor Ahmad came into the attack now as runs were coming in singles at the moment. Farhan Ahmed was introduced into the attack and was dispatched for a maximum by du Plooy. Scott Curie came into the attack and got rid of du Plooy for 25 off 21 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name.
Curie bowled full at the stumps an off-cutter. Du Plooy shuffled across the stumps and looked to play the ramp over the top of short fine leg. He failed to get bat on ball as the ball crashed onto the stumps. James Coles came out to bat next. Jason Roy then took on James Anderson as he hit him for two boundaries and a maximum off the last 3 balls of the set and ended Anderson’s day with the ball as well. After 50 balls at the halfway stage, Southern Brave were 65/2 chasing 132 for the win.
Noor Ahmad broke through as he dismissed James Coles for 4 off 6 balls. Flighted delivery full around fourth stump which was a googly. Coles did not read it and was playing for the incoming delivery. He looked to work it away on the leg side and got beaten on the outside edge. Buttler collected it and broke the stumps in a flash. TV umpire was called in and the foot was on the line. OUT it was. Laurie Evans came out to bat next.
Evans decided to take on Noor Ahmad hitting him for a boundary and got 4 byes as a gift as well. He also hit Noor for a maximum as the ploy of bowling successive sets did not work for Noor. Currie came back and got the breakthrough as Evans was dismissed for 13 off 9 balls with a boundary and a maximum to his name. Currie bowled a fuller side of good length slanting in at the pads. Evans went for the aerial flick and ended up picking Baker at deep midwicket. The fielder slid forward and even as he went down, he ensured that he did not lose control of the ball. Hilton Cartwright walked out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace.
Gregory bowled a miserly 14th set giving away just a run. Cartwright hit a boundary off Noor past deep covers but Noor hit back knocking Cartwright over for 9 off 10 balls with a boundary to his name. Noor bowled it short outside off, Cartwright tried to drag it leg side and got an inside edge back onto the stumps. Michael Bracewell came out to bat next. Baker came back and after bowling a few dot balls got rid of Jason Roy for 30 off 22 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name.
Baker bowled a hard length ball angling in towards the fourth stump line, Roy hung back and tried to guide it towards third but ended up deflecting it onto the stumps. Chris Jordan came out to bat next. Jordan hit a boundary off Currie while a brace brought up the 100 up for Brave in 84 balls. But Currie hit back getting rid of Jordan for 8 off 5 balls with a boundary to his name. Slower delivery into the pitch dragging his length back outside off, Jordan waited for it and threw his hands at it to get a thick outside edge where Buttler took a good low catch. Craig Overton came into bat next.
Currie had another as he dismissed Michael Bracewell for 2 off 5 balls. Slower delivery back of a length outside off with extra bounce off the surface, Bracewell swung his bat across the line and was through with the shot a way too early. He got a thick outside edge and Buttler took a regulation catch. Tymal Mills came out to bat next. He launched Currie for a maximum over deep cover as 20 was now needed off 10 balls with 2 wickets in hand.
Overton then took matter into his own hands as he belted a maximum and followed that up with a boundary next ball. He did not stop there as the next ball also went away to the fence. It meant that Brave now needed 4 runs off 5 balls. Lewis Gregory was given the final set to bowl and he started with a dot followed by a single to get Overton off strike. Then he prized out Tymal Mills for 8 off 4 balls with a maximum to his name.
Gregory bowled a length ball around off, Mills made room for himself and cleared his front leg and carved it away powerfully. He hit it flat and hard where Currie at deep point took a sharp catch with fingers pointing upwards. Reece Topley came in with 3 needed off 2 balls and one wicket in hand. Topley hit a cracking square drive and stunned Old Trafford. The width was offered and the batter threw the kitchen sink at it to nail the shot without footwork. Topley’s 4* off 1 ball had a boundary in it while Overton’s 18* off 8 balls had 2 fours and a six to his name. 6 extras given by the fielding side as Brave were home with a wicket and one ball left.
Scott Currie was the pick of the bowlers for Manchester Originals with figures of 4/28 in 20 balls. Noor Ahmad supported him well with 2/21 in 20 balls. Sonny Baker bowled well for his 2/26 in 20 balls. Lewis Gregory chipped in with 1/10 in 14 balls. James Anderson went for 36 in 20 balls while Farhan Ahmed went for 8 runs in 5 balls. So, Brave won by 1 wicket and for his 3/22 in 20 balls, Tymal Mills was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead.
The bandwagon moves to Leeds in Headingley for today’s Hundred clash. It’s Northern Superchargers vs Welsh Fire from 11PM IST. Non-stop Hundred action shall continue for the whole of August. So, plenty to look forward to and double headers over the weekends. So, a lot of action to keep all of us entertained.
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