Sam Curran and Jordan Cox lit up the Kennington Oval with a breathtaking counterattack as Oval Invincibles stormed to a six-wicket win over Trent Rockets in the Men’s Hundred on Thursday night.
Chasing 171, the Invincibles looked in real trouble at 70/2, needing 102 from just 40 balls. Then came the madness: a 96-run stand in just 40 deliveries, including an outrageous 10-ball spree of six sixes.
Curran hammered 54 off 24 balls (2x4, 6x6) before falling to Rehan Ahmed, while Cox stayed unbeaten on 58 from 32 (5x4, 4x6). Their fireworks powered Invincibles to 173/4 in just 89 balls, sealing victory with 11 deliveries to spare and lifting them to the top of the table with two games left.
Root brilliance not enough for Rockets
Earlier, Joe Root was at his fluent best, smashing 76 off 41 balls in what was the best team total of the season – 171/7. Support came from Rehan Ahmed (28) and George Linde (25), but their efforts were undone by the Curran-Cox blitz.
The win keeps Invincibles in pole position to qualify directly for the final as they chase a third consecutive title.
Curran: “The break came at the right time”
Player of the Match Sam Curran admitted the strategic timeout was crucial.
When the timeout happened, I was on seven off 12, so panic was in. That little break to reset helped massively. It was a huge game and a huge win. We looked at the table before this match, and to get the points in front of such an electric crowd was special.
Rockets Women keep hopes alive
In the Women’s Hundred, Trent Rockets revived their campaign with a six-wicket win over Oval Invincibles at The Oval. Left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse (1/5 in 15 balls) set the tone before Ashleigh Gardner made the decisive impact, removing Marizanne Kapp and Meg Lanning in the same over. Kirstie Gordon also struck twice as Invincibles were restricted to 109/7.
Wobble but Rockets hold nerve
The Rockets began strongly at 51 without loss before losing Bryony Smith (24) and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (2) in quick succession. Gardner (11) and Grace Scrivens (34) also departed, leaving them at 75/4. But Jodi Grewcock (21* off 18) and Heather Graham (19* off 12) kept their composure, steering the side home with 16 balls to spare.
I thought it was a really good pitch, and they were under-par. I would’ve liked to finish it off myself, but I’m happy we got the win.
Qualification race heats up
Both Rockets and Invincibles now sit on eight points, needing to win their remaining matches and hope other results go their way to sneak into the top three.
