Oval Invincibles claimed The Hundred title for a second year in a row after beating Southern Brave in the final at Lord’s.
The eventual winners set 147 for their opponents to chase, with Will Jacks giving the Invincibles a strong star, navigating strong opening overs from both Craig Overton and Jofra Archer.
By the time he was eventually dismissed on 37 by Tymal Mills, he had already set a strong foundation for his team-mates to set a high score.
Tom Curran, was a standout performer when it came to setting the initial score, scoring 24 from just 11 balls.
The Invincibles even lost four wickets from nine balls at one point, but it proved to be irrelevant in the grand scheme of the match.
Southern Brave put up a strong start to their chase, making up 58 without loss.
Defence! 🛡️🏆#THEHUNDRED PIC.TWITTER.COM/XR592W45BR
— The Hundred (@thehundred) AUGUST 18, 2024
But a collapse led to them sitting at 102-7 as they lost control to the Invincibles.
Adam Zampa took the first wicket before Saqib Mahmood swept up three wickets in seven balls.
And Jacks crucially took Brave captain James Vince – who was the leading scorer in the tournament.
From there it was smooth sailing and the Invincibles were able to see it out and become the first team to defend The Hundred trophy.
Captain Sam Billings said after the match: “Amazing. Just a real team effort throughout the tournament, probably even better than last year. It didn’t go all our way and that’s the strength of the group.”
Bowler Saqib Mahmood added: “I don’t want to sound arrogant but we just knew from the start we’d win. I don’t know what it was.
“I really wanted to use this competition to try and get back in the England white-ball side. I haven’t played that much red-ball cricket, I’ve still got to get my body used to that. If I can get back into that white-ball team, that is my main target.”
