Oval Invincibles outperformed Southern Brave in the final to successfully defend The Hundred title. In the match held on August 18 at Lord’s, the Invincibles secured a convincing 17-run victory to retain the trophy. Invincibles’ skipper, Sam Billings, created history, becoming the first captain to lift two titles in the tournament, having previously led the side to the crown in 2023.
Speaking of the game the Southern Brave won the toss and invited the Invincibles to bat first. Openers Will Jacks and Dawid Malan added 44 for the opening wicket with the latter falling short for 7 in the 31st delivery. However, Sam Curran (25), Jordan Cox (25), and Tom Curran (24) made noteworthy contributions to help Invincibles post 147. Tymal Mills and Akeal Hosein were the standout bowlers for the Brave, who finished with excellent figures of 3/33 and 3/44, respectively. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan contributed three wickets.
In pursuit of the highest chase at Lord’s in the tournament, Brave openers Alex Davies and skipper James Vince advanced steadily with a 58-run partnership. However, Adam Zampa came and disrupted their momentum, dismissing the wicketkeeper-batter Davies (35 off 23) with a googly in his second five-over spell. Meanwhile, after a strong batting performance, Will Jacks showcased his prowess in bowling as well, removing the tournament’s leading run-scorer, Vince, for just 24 runs. In addition, Leg-spinner Nathan Sowter followed up by dismissing James Coles, leaving Brave at 66/3 at the end of 53 deliveries.
However, Brave were in a good position with them needing 53 off the final 30 deliveries with seven wickets in hand. Unfortunately, pacer Saqib Mahmood caused considerable challenges to the batters as he claimed three wickets in just seven deliveries. He dismissed Leus du Plooy with a delivery that appeared late, followed by Kieron Pollard for a duck, and then Laurie Evans at cover. Meanwhile, Zampa added one more wicket to his name, removing Chris Jordan. Although Craig Overton contributed a quick 22 off 11 balls, Southern Brave fell 17 runs short, allowing Invincibles to take the title home.
Oval Invincibles were undeniably one of the top teams this season. Winning the title this year, they matched the success of their female counterparts. Notably, Oval Invincibles women secured back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 in The Hundred women’s competition. Now the men’s team also won the title twice to carry forward the club’s remarkable achievements.
