The Analysis: Laurie Evans, the forgotten man, goes box office at The Oval

SAM MORSHEAD AT THE OVAL: That he won the game for Oval Invincibles with a straight six over mid-on, off a Blake Cullen full toss, was fitting for one of the most impressive, most destructive, most entertaining innings of The Hundred’s short lifespan

The Oval: London Spirit 147-6, Oval Invincibles 147-8 - Oval Invincibles won

Scorecard

It’s not long ago that Laurie Evans was one of the hottest short-form batting properties on the planet.

Between the start of 2018 and October 2019, when the original draft for The Hundred was made, just 10 men managed most runs in tournaments across the world.

Evans’ performances in the top three for Sussex Sharks, Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League and Rajputs in the T10 League brought him deals in the Pakistan Super League with Multan Sultans, and the Caribbean Premier League with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.

A clean-striking, high-impact, low-profile batsman, the advent of Evans' 30th birthday in late 2017 seemed to bring with it a massive amount of career momentum.

It was strange, then, that come the draft for The Hundred (remember the Krypton Factor decor and Mark Nicholas on the Southern Brave top table?) he was only selected in the final round.

With big names coming before big form, and more than a handful of curious selections in the higher-paying brackets, he found himself bottom of the pile. 

In the months since that draft, Evans has continued to make good runs at good pace while remaining on the sort of low flightpath which might reasonably risk a bird strike.

^{Laurie Evans was in excellent form for Oval Invincibles on Saturday}

His performances in the T20 Blast last year - 363 runs at 45 - were seen only by his teammates, backroom staff and a handful of journalists, while there has been a more modest return for Surrey in 2021 (248 at 25), but he still remains a reliable and effective part of any T20 dressing room.

Oval Invincibles retained his services in the refresher draft for the inaugural Hundred but have batted him down the order at No.6 or below, meaning Evans has had less time to hog the limelight. Indeed, three of his five innings in The Hundred prior to Saturday evening had been red-inkers, but he had only accumulated 52 runs.

Against London Spirit, though, he got his chance. And no one who has watched Evans regularly over the past four years will be surprised to know he nailed the audition.

Striking particularly beautifully in to out over wide mid-off, but equally happy to throw his hands through the ball on the legside, he underpinned a counter-attack by the Invincibles, who at 14 for 3 in pursuit of 147 looked cooked.

A superb fourth-wicket partnership of 57 in 32 balls with Will Jacks gave his side renewed purpose following the loss of captain Sam Billings on 52, and even when Jacks perished Evans refused to slow down.

The flailing, aerial drives over the offside infield continued, now against pace with as much fluency as against the slower ball.

Nerves remained rock solid as the task remained more than a run a ball with wickets tumbling at the other end and deliveries running out, and he showed tremendous game management in retaining the strike as much as possible, giving himself the best opportunity to win the game for the Invincibles.

^{Evans helped his team to victory over London Spirit}

That he did with a straight six over mid-on, off a Blake Cullen full toss, was fitting for one of the most impressive, most destructive, most entertaining innings of The Hundred’s short lifespan. His unbeaten 67 came from 37 balls and lasted the length of one half of football. 

"It was nice to get to the crease with a bit of time to bat. It was one of those knocks where I got a good start, kept the flow going and we managed to control the run rate," he said afterwards.

"Some days those things happen, other days guys bowl well at you and you struggle to get away quickly. It was nice that it was my nice tonight.

"It's been great going back to where I started at six. Seven and eight was probably a bit low but I'm glad Moods got me in early tonight and gave me the opportunity to see it home. It was good fun."

Evans’ England chances reached a peak in the autumn of 2019 and have been restrained by the depth of white-ball hitting talent and, perhaps, his status as a late-bloomer, but that doesn’t mean his value as a short-form striker is any lower.

There is something incredibly impressive, too, about switching from T20 anchor to 100-ball finisher, showing that even at 33 he is learning, adapting, and bettering his game. 

Like many others in the English system today, it is surely only the misfortune of being born into an extraordinary generation that has deprived Evans of representing his country on the biggest stage.

So it was heartening to watch this son of South London, born a stone’s throw from The Oval, smiling his way through the post-match interview, the match hero medal draped from his neck.

This was box office batting from a man who has largely been kept off Broadway during his peak years, and it was an absolute pleasure to see.