Invincibles thrash Spirit to close in on Lord’s final
Adam Zampa takes 4-17 as defending champions Oval Invincibles thrash London Spirit to close in on a place in The Hundred final.
Adam Zampa took 4-17 as defending champions Oval Invincibles thrashed London Spirit by nine wickets to close in on a place in The Hundred final.
The Australia leg-spinner sparked a collapse that saw Spirit go from 40-1 to 96 all out with only three batters reaching double figures.
Invincibles then romped to victory with 37 balls to spare as Jordan Cox, recently called up to the England Test squad, bludgeoned his way to an unbeaten 61 from 30 balls.
Cox hit nine fours and his second six – smashed back over the bowler’s head – sealed a comprehensive win.
England all-rounder Sam Curran also played a key role for Invincibles, taking 3-10 from 15 balls, while Tom Curran picked up 2-21.
Invincibles are two points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Southern Brave, and now have a significant advantage in terms of net run-rate as well.
A top-three spot has been clinched and a win over Trent Rockets on Wednesday evening would secure their place in next Sunday’s Lord’s final.
Already eliminated Spirit stay bottom of the table.
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What else do you need to know?
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Sam Curran took a wicket with his first ball to remove Spirit opener Keaton Jennings
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Zampa dismissed both of Spirit’s big-hitting West Indians, Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell, in the space of eight balls
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Donovan Ferreira took four catches – three in the deep and a sharp grab at mid-wicket – a record for an Oval Invincibles fielder
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Olly Stone took Spirit’s only wicket when he dismissed Will Jacks for two but owed a lot to a fantastic catch from Russell as he ran back from mid-off
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Dawid Malan finished on 29 not out from 27 balls in an unbroken stand of 85 with Cox
‘Tough for anyone to overtake us’ – what they said
Match hero, Oval Invincibles spinner Adam Zampa: “They put us under the pump in the powerplay but there was a bit of purchase in the surface and the boys dragged it back well in the middle.
“We’ve been playing really good cricket throughout and today we knew how important it was to get the win. Finishing first and potentially going straight through to Lord’s, we’ve made it tough for anyone to overtake us from here.
“But it’s important in our next game to make that a certainty.”
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What is happening on Monday?
It is a Midlands derby on Monday as Birmingham Phoenix host Trent Rockets at Edgbaston. The women’s match starts at 15:00 BST with the men’s game following at 18:30.
You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
