The Oval Invincibles Men kicked off their 2025 Hundred campaign with a dominant six-wicket victory over the London Spirit Men in front of a buzzing crowd at Lord’s on Tuesday. Rashid Khan, making his tournament debut for the Invincibles, returned with a spellbinding 3 for 11 in 20 balls to skittle the hosts out for a meagre 80 in just 94 balls.
He found able support from Sam Curran (3-18) and Jordan Clark (2-8), as Spirit’s batting crumbled with just three players reaching double figures. Ashton Turner top-scored with 21, while white-ball stalwarts David Warner and Kane Williamson both fell for 9.
It was nice to get the start with the win, and to perform for the team was amazing. I've been off from the game these past two months, but it's good to be back.
Invincibles make short work of the chase
Set a modest target, Will Jacks (24 off 24) and Tawanda Muyeye (18 off 20) provided a 34-run opening stand to ease the chase. While Jordan Cox (5) fell early, Sam Curran’s quickfire 14 off 9 balls ensured there were no hiccups as they wrapped up the chase in just 69 balls.
It was pretty clinical. All the bowlers stepped up. Thankfully, we kept taking wickets, which is always the best thing in short-form cricket. Wrist spin in this format of the game is such a key, especially through the middle overs.
London Spirit Women Launch with Flair in Six-Hitting Festival
Grace Harris blitz powers London Spirit to second-highest total in Women's Hundred history
Earlier in the day, Grace Harris lit up the Lord’s skyline with a ferocious knock of 89 not out off 42 balls, smashing six sixes — equalling the competition record. She was well supported by Cordelia Griffith, who brought up a stylish 29-ball 50, as the duo added a 100-run partnership in 52 balls — a new team record — to power London Spirit Women to 176/5 in 100 balls, the second-highest team total in tournament history.
I loved it out there. When you have a wicket like this, you want to cash in as a batter.
After losing openers Georgia Redmayne (0) and Kira Chathli (19 off 14) early, the Harris-Griffith partnership steadied and then exploded the innings. Harris particularly targeted former teammate Amanda Jade-Wellington, who went for 38 runs in just 15 balls, and was dropped on 22 in a costly miss.
Lanning leads Oval charge, but Wong strikes at the death
In reply, Oval Invincibles Women were rocked early as skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill fell for a second-ball duck. However, Meg Lanning counter-attacked brilliantly, blasting 85 off 51 balls with five sixes, nearly taking the game away from Spirit.
But the Australian star lacked support. Alice Capsey (22) and Marizanne Kapp (33) offered starts but didn’t stay long enough. The chase lost steam once Issy Wong (2-26) removed both Lanning and Kapp, handing Spirit a 17-run win to start their campaign on a high.
Meg was batting beautifully, but we kept believing. It’s always about staying in the contest and taking your chances.
