Curran stars for Invincibles to eliminate Originals
Sam Curran's 68 for Oval Invincibles was his highest score in The Hundred
- Published
Sam Curran was the star for Oval Invincibles once again as he led them to a dramatic three-run win over Manchester Originals at Old Trafford.
The England all-rounder smashed six sixes as he made 68 from 38 balls with the bat before defending seven runs from the last five balls to seal the win.
Curran dismissed Jamie Overton with the first ball of the final five then, with Originals needing four off the last delivery, the left-armer had Usama Mir caught on the boundary.
It was a familiar story for Originals as, chasing 165 to win, they failed to take advantage of an excellent start with the bat.
Another half-century from opener Matty Hurst, in partnership with skipper Phil Salt, helped them to 89-0 but - just as they did against Northern Superchargers in their last game - they crumbled.
Big hitting from Paul Walter and Overton got them close but Curran held his nerve to condemn them to their to a fifth straight defeat and officially end their hopes of making the qualifer.
Meanwhile, Invincibles' fourth win in five puts them second in the table, level on points with leaders Southern Brave.
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What else do you need to know?
Will Jacks got Invincibles off to a flyer, hitting 41 from 20 balls with four fours and three sixes
Originals spinners Mir and Sikandar Raza took a combined 4-43 from their 40 balls. The remaining 60 deliveries in the Invincibles innings went for 121 runs
Adam Zampa took 2-30 for Invincibles and the Australia leg-spinner is now the leading wicket-taker in the men's competition with 12, one more than Sam Curran
Curran is also third for most runs in the tournament with 141 in his four innings
With 15 balls left in the Originals chase, Wayne Madsen was retired out after scoring 15 from 14 balls. Raza replaced him and was out second ball
'Never really felt like we were out of the game' - what they said
Hero of the match, Oval Invincibles all-rounder Sam Curran: "It felt like we bowled really well and hung in the game.
"[Phil Salt] and [Matthew] Hurst played really well. We knew they had such a powerplay batting line-up but we knew that in The Hundred, with 10 balls from one end, you can really squeeze when a new batter comes in.
"We never really felt like we were out of the game. It's just that self-belief, every day it is going to be someone different [performing well].
"This type of tournament being so short and quick, you need to win those small margins. We're winning close games and are really, really pleased."
What is happening on Wednesday?
Trent Rockets host London Spirit at Trent Bridge in Wednesday's double-header. The women's match starts at 15:00 BST with the men's game following at 18:30.
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