Will Jacks leads Invincibles in Manchester Originals’ bashing as stand worth 114 in 49 balls headlines nine-wicket drubbing.
Will Jacks demolish Originals as Invincibles go two from two.
In the Hundred at The Oval, Oval Invincibles defeated Manchester Originals by a resounding nine wickets thanks to a clinical display. In front of 20,976 spectators, the two-time reigning champions reached their goal with 43 balls remaining.
Invincibles chose to bowl first after winning the toss for the second time that day, and they promptly defended their choice. The Originals were reduced to 18 for 2 15 balls in as Jason Behrendorff (2 for 6) removed Matty Hurst for a first-ball duck and Jos Buttler without scoring. Phil Salt, the captain of the Originals, had to lead the innings due to the early wickets, reaching 1,000 runs in The Hundred.
Rashid Khan (3 for 19) kept things tight in the middle overs after Mark Chapman put up a stout 28 to briefly resist. Salt, Rashid’s second victim, fought to 41 from 32 but gave in to increasing pressure.
The Originals hobbled to 105 for 7 after Sam Curran (2 for 17) came back to eliminate Noor Ahmad on the first ball. The visitors were only able to post 128 despite a late charge from Scott Currie (21).
The Invincibles instantly put pressure on the bowlers of the Originals. While Tawanda Muyeye gave him a calm partner at the other end, Will Jacks exploded out of the blocks, flinging the ball all over the ground.
Along the road, the two claimed their half-centuries as they sped to 114 without losing. Currie got Jacks on the boundary as he fell to Lewis Gregory after reaching 61 in superb touch. However, the outcome was always certain because Muyeye and Jordan Cox led the team to their second victory of the tournament, with Muyeye hitting 59.
“I’m feeling good getting the back-to-back Man of the Match awards, but more importantly the win was very special with a good run-rate as well,” Rashid said. “It’s definitely a good feeling, two back to back wins. It’s a great start to the competition, everyone is doing so well in taking the responsibility. Either the batter, bowler or fielding – for us this is a great start and we’re looking forward to [seeing] this continue.”