Home side push themselves to second in the table, after a back-and-forth victory that keeps them in contention for the top three
Oval Invincibles' campaign was boosted tonight in front of a home crowd after a two-wicket victory with five balls to spare.
London Spirit looked in command of their innings as Eoin Morgan clattered four sixes, but towards the end lost quick wickets and were restricted to 146.
In reply, the Invincibles found themselves in early danger, and Laurie Evans came to the crease early - but he delivered a half-century which saw his side over the line.
Here's how it happened...
2: That’s the first four! It’s Saqib Mahmood who goes on a good length to Adam Rossington, who shuffles backwards and fires cleverly through cover. 4-0
Ball 15: Denly hits his first boundary. Sunil Narine floats a length one on middle, and Denly skips out and thwacks towards long on. It bounces first before taking the rope for four. 17-0
Ball 25: Finishing the Powerplay with a six! That’s the first maximum of the evening, and Rossington is the provider. Saqib Mahmood goes a touch shorter, drifting towards leg, and Rossington thumps it over square leg and into the crowd. 35-0
Ball 39: Gone! Castled! Adam Rossington is the first victim of the evening. It’s Sunil Narine that breaks through - tossed up on off, he gets some turn and Rossington looks to flick, but it hits his pad and then finds the wicket. 49-1
Ball 45: Big shout for lbw, given! Tabraiz Shamsi has his first. It’s full and on the off stump - Inglis looks to shuffle and fire through the leg side but his bat is beaten, and is hit plumb - something he recognises as he doesn’t even consider the review. 52-2
SHAMSI STRIKES! 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 14, 2021
Brilliant bowling from Tabraiz Shamsi gets Josh Inglis in a tangle - and he is plumb lbw! ☝#OvalInvincibles 🟢| #LondonSpirit 🔵| #TheHundred 💯
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Ball 59: See ya! That’s huge from Morgan! Will Jacks’ reaction made one thing very clear - and that’s that he knows better than to bowl there. It’s a length ball just on leg stump, allowing the Spirit and England skipper to get low and bludgeon it over cow corner. 77-2
Ball 64: Six more! How about that!? Saqib Mahmood goes for the shorter one, but Eoin Morgan is in the mood. He steps forward and to his right, leaving his stumps visible for the world to see, but bends his knees and clatters it over long-on. 87-2
Balls 72 and 73: Two sixes in two for Morgan! Shamsi taking a bit of punishment here. Both of these were on the back of a length, each time, the skipper has had the time and space to wallop into the leg side. The second goes right into the crowd, and we lose the ball! 112-2
Ball 74: Caught him! Morgan has to walk. He looks for the same shot that has yielded 12 runs in the last two, but this time his connection is weak, because it comes off the top edge and sails to backward square, where Saqib Mahmood makes the call and collects. 112-3
Ball 75: Two-for-two! Bopara goes! This is just a gorgeous delivery. Shamsi goes on a good length, pitching on middle - but the turn makes it travel a few degrees to the left, beating the placed down bat and disturbing off. 112-4
6⃣6⃣❌❌
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 14, 2021
Eoin Morgan has found form and smashes two sixes before Shamsi has him caught next ball - and now he bowled Bopara! It's all happening!#OvalInvincibles 🟢| #LondonSpirit 🔵 | #TheHundred 💯
📺 Watch 👉 https://t.co/bT0CP9Q8No
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Ball 86: Bowled ‘im! Tom Curran strikes. He’s had to take this ball again, as he started with a wide, and that’s not a half bad comeback. Yorker, full, on middle - Denly looks to get something under it, but it’s no use. Lovely delivery. 123-6
Ball 90: Up in the air, and taken! Curran has another! He looks for another yorker. It’s a touch wider this time, and David Wiese tries to scoop by getting something under it - he does indeed manage that, but it sails to long-on, where Jason Roy adjusts and makes the grab. 126-7
Ball 5: Six! Clean as a whistle! Jason Roy doing Jason Roy things. Joe Denly tosses it up, and after a couple of frustrating dots the opener gets low and cracks it over long-on. 7-0
Ball 6: But he goes next ball! The gamble to persist with spin provides a return here. Jason Roy looks to sweep, but the width of the delivery just means he can't get enough on it, and it sails to Joe Cracknell at square who makes the grab after an initial fumble. 7-1
Ball 8: Four, then out! Two in three! Sunil Narine has to go. Van der Merwe goes fuller and on off, it's certainly a tempter, and it flies all the way up as he fires for long-on. Joe Denly sets himself and despite a long hang in the air, he manages to pick it out. 11-2
SIX AND OUT! 💥#OvalInvincibles 🟢 are chasing 147 to win but they've lost Jason Roy early - and Sunil Narine follows soon after!#LondonSpirit 🔵 | #TheHundred 💯
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 14, 2021
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Ball 17: Bowled him! Done him up! Leg stump has just tumbled, and the stump cam disconnected. Brad Wheal puts this fuller, angling towards leg and and Ingram looks to fire through the leg side, but he drags it on and it knocks off stump over. 14-3
Balls 21-23: Three straight fours for Will Jacks! His side needed that. He's picked out three different places in the field, two in the leg side. Off the bowling of van der Merwe, the second was the best, as he waits for the fuller toss and gets onto his knee - before sweeping with force through square leg. 30-3
Ball 33: Six! That's been cracked over square. This time, Blake Cullen goes shorter and slower, allowing Jacks to lean back and hook it into the leg-side with an incredible amount of power. 49-3
Ball 38: Taken! Billings goes. Mason Crane is in the wickets. Fuller and breaking away from off stump, Billings looks to shuffle and open up the angle, but he mistimes his stroke and it clips to to the man at point off the top of the bat. 52-4
Ball 47: Shot! Laurie Evans goes for six. Roelof van der Merwe pitches this on a length, allowing Evans to step down and crack it over cover. 67-4
Ball 49: Six more! Evans again! It's a near repeat of the delivery two prior, van der Merwe persisting on the length is punished - as he strolls out of his crease and hamemrs it over cover again, but it's harder and goes further over the boundary. 77-4
Ball 63: Fired to cow corner... six! This is a brilliant effort from Joe Cracknell - he did extremely well to make up all that ground from midwicket, and as he ran in he looked to grab over the rope and toss it back, but there's just too much momentum and his throw lands on the wrong side of the rope for his side. Invincibles now back in control. 101-4
Ball 70: Straight to mid-on, taken! Ravi Bopara strikes. He got out for a duck and in the field his trousers came down, but finally something goes his way. He tosses this one up on off, and Jacks, smelling blood, can only loop it to the fielder who hardly has to move.
Ball 77: Four for Evans, and that's his half-century! This one wasn't his greatest, but he'll take it. Blake Cullen angles in on the pads, and the inside edge deflects it through fine leg and to the rope. 122-5
Ball 79: Bowled him! Blake gets Blake, as Cullen gets the full yorker perfect, moving in towards leg stump, and Alex just can't get anything under it - as it cracks the bottom of the wicket which alights. 123-6
Ball 80: Four straight up! Tom Curran doesn't wait around. Cullen looks to nail the yorker, but it's too short, allowing the new batsman just to ease it through square to the rope.127-6
Ball 90: Got 'im! Curran castled! Just as we thought this was done, the Spirit show they're not done yet. Brad Wheal goes full, angling in, and Curran looks to get low and fire over the leg side. He is beaten and the stumps are not! 134-7
Ball 94: That's a run-out! It's not the snag of Evans they'd have wanted, but it is him who fires to long-on, and the return is quick. Mahmood, who is scurrying the non-strikers end, is much too short. Six off six needed.
Ball 95: Evans wins it with a six! Full toss, and cracked over long-on into the stands, the Oval erupts! 147-7
Hero of the Match Laurie Evans said: "It's nice to get running in the tournament. A lot of guys have been putting in performances, so it's nice to finally arrive. We've been playing this game for a while now, and I'll take pride in finishing games off and winning games of cricket - that's all you can do."
"I missed out on a few full tosses, so I was just glad to get that final one away. [Topley] calm head at the other end just said smack it!"
On home advantage, he commented: "It's massive. Home advantage is huge, and I just want to thank everyone for coming out. It's great to see this tournament thriving as it should."
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