Cricket | London Spirit slumped to a heavy defeat v Oval Invincibles

The Men's Hundred Match Report | Oval Invincibles beat London Spirit by three wickets

The Invincibles began their title defence with a resounding victory at Lord’s.

Author | DJ

Players battling it out

Having won the toss and opted to bat, Spirit were skittled for just 80 in 94 balls, unable to cope with a disciplined and inventive Invincibles attack. Rashid Khan marked his debut in style, taking 3 for 11, while Sam Curran collected 3 for 18, including a 47.1mph delivery, the slowest ever wicket-taking ball by a seamer in the men’s competition.

The pitch offered its share of challenges, but the Invincibles made light work of the chase, knocking off the target with 31 balls to spare.

A closer look at what happened

Jason Behrendorff set the tone with a miserly 10-ball opening set that immediately put Spirit on the back foot. The Australian left-armer returned to remove captain Kane Williamson soon after, with opener Keaton Jennings already back in the pavilion.

David Warner, making his Hundred debut, barely saw the strike during the powerplay and, in an attempt to make up for lost time, holed out off Jordan Clark for nine. Spirit were 26 for 3 and under pressure. Then came Rashid Khan.

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The Afghanistan leg-spinner removed Wayne Madsen with his third delivery in a 10-ball set that cost just 10 runs. He continued to baffle the batters with subtle variations in pace, conceding only a single run in his next 10 balls. Liam Dawson was trapped lbw and Ryan Higgins popped a simple catch to backward point, unable to contend with Rashid’s control and guile. Khan also added three catches in the field to cap an outstanding all-round performance.

Curran offered a stark contrast, operating at the other end of the speed spectrum. His ultra-slow deliveries proved equally effective, and it was a 47.7mph ball that removed Ashton Turner, Spirit’s top-scorer with 21. He went even slower to bowl Richard Gleeson and end the innings.

With just 81 required, Invincibles could afford to bat with patience on a pitch that remained tricky throughout. Dawson offered some resistance with a tidy 2 for 9, but the result was never in doubt.

Donovan Ferreira provided the final blow, sending Luke Wood into the stands from the 69th ball to seal a comfortable win for the defending champions.