Oval Invincibles defend Men’s Hundred title after Southern Brave fall short

Lord’s is a place of joy for Oval Invincibles once again. Saqib Mahmood was the chief menace, taking three wickets and conceding just a single in the space of seven consecutive deliveries to set up a 17-run victory over Southern Brave, back-to-back titles secured for the men’s side.

The game was Brave’s under lights at HQ, close to 29,000 watching, chasing a tough ask of 148 but well-settled at 95 for three, 30 balls still left to play with. Leus du Plooy and Laurie Evans’ partnership was growing as Mahmood returned to the attack, his captain, Sam Billings, needing something, anything. Please.

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Du Plooy found four immediately but a shuffle to the leg-side for an off-side hit then proved costly. Mahmood, an international-class quick whose recent years have been riddled with back stress fractures, found leg stump – with reverse swing.

“Somebody had got hit for six and there was a little bit of a scuff on the ball,” Mahmood later revealed. Out came Kieron Pollard, a king of the shortest form but now in the later stages of a storied career. The ball danced, three dots leaving Pollard shotless.

That was the end of Mahmood’s set but Billings wanted more; the bowler continued for another five, pinning Pollard’s pads for his second before forcing Evans to chip to Dawid Malan at cover and leave the Brave reeling at 100 for six.

Twenty-two balls remained but Mahmood had won the game and the tournament, too, his final figures three for 17.

“When we got together as a group, a lot of the talk was [about] when the boys won it last year,” said Mahmood, who had not played in the Hundred since 2021 due to his injuries. “I’ve been part of the Oval Invincibles every year but I haven’t played the last two years so I wanted to feel that for myself as well.”

And what next for a bowler with slinging pace, reverse swing and a promising international record? Lancashire is the focus for the rest of the season “but, yeah, one eye on that England series against Australia as well”.

The Brave had arrived to the final after a late resurrection in Saturday’s Eliminator at the Oval, a straight-forward victory for Birmingham Phoenix turning into a tie before a super over/set/five to settle it. Jofra Archer’s fuller-length grenades won the argument.

On Sunday, after Brave chose to bowl first, Archer was greeted by a Will Jacks thump over the off-side for six, a shot to awaken something more ferocious within the fast bowler; a bouncer followed, a blow to the forearm not long after.

But the right-hander wasn’t to be disturbed by the examination, firing a six over Craig Overton’s head before feasting upon Akeal Hosein for more, the 16 taken off the left-arm spinner’s first set including a drop from Pollard at long-on. Jacks, on 33 off 15, was on.

But after the departure of Malan for seven, Jacks’ own stay was ended by Tymal Mills for 37 before a period of consolidation with a 46-run stand between Jordan Cox and the tournament MVP, Sam Curran.

Curran’s dismissal for 25, leaving the Invincibles 93 for three, prompted a collapse, the instigator Hosein. A nerveless operator, he had Billings bowled, Donovan Ferreira lobbing up a grab for Pollard. Mills bounced out Cox to make it 102 for six with 24 balls left in the innings. The Brave had control.

Once again, Tom Curran came to the rescue. Sam’s elder brother had saved his side in last year’s final after losing five early wickets, slapping an unbeaten 67 off 34 balls against Manchester Originals. This time the contribution was 24 off 11, including a hop across the crease to lift Archer over extra cover and into the crowd. “If one Curran doesn’t get ya, the other one will,” said Billings.

James Vince, the tournament’s leading run-scorer by a fair whack, opened up with Alex Davies, who walked in with back-to-back ducks behind him. It was the latter who dominated their stand with a quickfire 35, enjoying the early looseness of the quicks before back-to-back boundaries off Nathan Sowter’s leg-spin.

But 58 for none was soon 66 for three, the Invincibles attacking with spin. Adam Zampa went through Davies and Jacks lit up Vince’s stumps. Sowter joined in on the fun with the dismissal of James Coles. The push-and-pull continued, Du Plooy and Evans setting things up for the climax. Mahmood’s pace would win it.