Alex Hales sets up comfortable win for Trent Rockets over Oval Invincibles

Hales flashed 59 runs from 29 balls at the top of the order to help his side to 181 for 4

ECB Reporters Network | 17/08/2022 at 22:16

Nottingham: Trent Rockets 181-4, Oval Invincibles 156-5 - Trent Rockets won by 25 runs

Trent Rockets bounced back from Monday's defeat at Birmingham Phoenix to make it four Hundred wins from five with a 25-run victory over the Oval Invincibles after Alex Hales had set the night up with some characteristic pyrotechnics in front of his home crowd.

Hales' stunning 59 off 29 balls included four sixes and six fours and was scored at a strike rate of 203.44, giving Rockets the platform to post a challenging 181 for 4.

His performance was backed up by leading run scorer Dawid Malan's 38 off 29 and consolidated by skipper Lewis Gregory combining with Colin Munro to add 41 off the last 19 balls.

Despite Jordan Cox countering with an unbeaten 66 off 31, Invincibles couldn't recover from losing their first three wickets for 32 in 35 balls with South African left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi finding a notable degree of turn in taking 2 for 21.

After Rockets were put in, Malan had the six counter ticking from ball four but spent the next 40 largely admiring his teammate as Hales delivered an extraordinary display of his clean hitting skills.

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^{Jordan Cox scored a late half-century for Oval Invincibles [Clive Mason/Getty Images]}

Hales, who survived an lbw review first ball, took a particular liking to Sam Curran, plundering three of his four maximums off the left-hander, whom he hammered 20 runs in one set of five. He had gone past 10,000 career short format runs in the previous set and looked unstoppable. His fourth six - off Sydney Thunder teammate Mohammad Hasnain - sailed over the roof of the Fox Road stand and into the Nottingham night as his fifty came up off just 22 balls.

But after he'd gone for 59, picking out Hilton Cartwright on the midwicket boundary as Hasnain took his revenge, Rockets lost some momentum and they needed Gregory and Munro's enterprise at the death to set the Invincibles a testing chase.

In between, Malan's 29-ball 38 had ended when Jason Roy grabbed a very low catch in the covers that needed an umpire review to confirm, Tom Kohler-Cadmore miscued to point and Daniel Sams flicked one straight to deep square leg.

The test facing the visitors soon became bigger still. Will Jacks was fresh from his brilliant unbeaten 108 not out last time out but Sam Cook had his number on this occasion. He was denied his wicket on an lbw review in his first set and watching him survive a top-edged pull before bowling him with a perfect yorker.

Roy at least avoided another duck but on 20 from 17 he ran into a ripper from Shamsi that knocked back his leg stump. Shamsi had Billings leg before with one that fizzed through three balls later.

Sam Curran built himself a start but perished for 27, getting away with a steepler that Tom Moores inexplicably spilled. The wicketkeeper redeemed himself next ball with a stumping that won instant forgiveness from bowler Samit Patel.

It wasn't the best of nights in the field for the Rockets, with Cox shelled at short third on 32 and Sunil Narine on 16 by the 'keeper - a difficult one this time - in the same Luke Wood over, but with 66 needed from 20 balls, the winning line was too far away for the Invincibles.