All-round Tom Curran stars as Oval remain 'Invincibles'

There is something about The Hundred that makes it enticing, perhaps it is because of the shorter nature of the tournament. Or is it just because it is in England, where run scoring over the years has become easier? 

Oh, wait, neither. It is because THE HUNDRED IS RIDICULOUS. Just to give more context to the ridiculousness of the tournament, we have had Jamie Overton scoring an 83* off just 34 balls, Chris Jordan scoring 70 with a strike-rate of 218.75, and Tom Curran tonking a 67* when the Invincibles needed it in the finale. 

And then, there was Spencer Johnson announcing himself with the most WTF spell of the tournament - 1/3 - bowling 19 dot-balls. So, what else happened? Who won, tell me that!!!

The Champions Invincibles

Let’s cut to the chase: The Oval Invincibles were deserved champions. Across eight group-stage games, the Sam Billings-led side won six games and lost just once with 13 points. Will Jacks was the stand-out performer with the bat for the Invincibles, scoring 227 runs in the tournament, including a high score of 68.

They relied on Nathan Sowter, who picked up ten wickets with the ball. But more than that, the Invincibles relied on an outrageous performance of display from Thomas Kevin Curran in the finale. The man, the myth, the legend. 

Walking in at 28/4, the all-rounder joined hands with James Neesham to take Oval to 161, a recovery that resulted in a 14-run win for them against the strong Manchester Originals. Tom Curran ended with a 34-ball 67 and a spell of 1/25 while picking up the Player of the Match award in the final. 

What a redemption arc 🎯

Jos Buttler, Tymal Mills, and the other performers

Petition to rename The Hundred as Buttler’s net session ✅

After a disastrous IPL season, Jos Buttler smashed 391 runs, including scoring three half-centuries, which led the Manchester Originals to the final of this year’s The Hundred. Chasing 197 in the Eliminator, Buttler’s one-man show (82 off 46) helped the Originals easily chase down a mammoth target. 

If it was Buttler with the bat, Southern Brave’s left-arm pacer Tymal Mills starred with the ball in the tournament. Mills picked up 16 wickets, including a HAT-TRICK. It came against Welsh Fire, where they were bowled out for 87. 

Harry Brook sparks a 🔥

Just nights after Harry Brook was left out of the provisional 15-man squad for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) World Cup in India, the right-hander put on a show. The young batter smacked a 41-ball century, the quickest in the history of the tournament. Brook smashed 22 runs off the last five balls against Welsh Fire, slamming four fours and a six after walking out to bat at 10/3.

In the tournament, Brook was also at his influential best, often making a vivid impact on the outcome of the clashes. With 37 boundaries in the tournament, Brook showed that he doesn’t shy away from the aggressive route. 

WTF moments of the tournament

TIE, TIE AND TIE!!! 🤝🤝🤝

What’s a tournament without a tie? And 💯 didn’t FAIL!

In just the ninth match of the tournament, the Welsh Fire and Oval Invincibles played one heck of a match. Joe Clarke first starred with an unbeaten 69, as Fire scored 138 runs in their innings. In reply, the Invincibles lost Jason Roy the very first ball, but then an incredible effort from Tom Curran (38 off 18) helped them tie the clash. 

We just warmed you up. Spencer Johnson was the real deal. The left-arm pacer stunned the entire world when he picked up THREE WICKETS. That’s only one part of it, Johnson only conceded one run, bowling 19 dot-balls in TOTAL during that spell 😲😲

And then, to sum up the tournament, Air Jordan smashed a 70, and with every delivery, he looked better than before. Southern Brave were almost buried and dead, but then Jordan’s display ensured they won the clash by two runs. 

Tom and Geez

Tom Curran, TAKE A BOW 🙇

Five innings, 175 runs, an average of 175, and a STRIKE-RATE OF 176.76. 

If that’s not outrageous enough, two of his knocks have come at a crucial juncture - one in the clash against Welsh Fire, where he smacked 38 off 18, and the other came in the final against the Originals. 

Not just that, his knock of 67 in the final surpassed an age-old MS Dhoni record, with it being the highest runs scored at No.7 or below in a T20 final. If the captain of your Test team and a G.O.A.T.E.D Stokes is complimenting you, you don’t need much more, do you? 

With the ball, too, Curran picked up nine wickets averaging 16.44 with the ball. Any bidders in the IPL?