London Spirit defeated Manchester Originals in the sixth match of the men’s Hundred by 52 runs at Lord’s on September 8.
In a battle of the former England captain vs current captain, Eoin Morgan came out on top at Lord’s as London Spirit smashed Manchester Originals quite comfortably. London Spirit, who finished at the bottom of the table in the inaugural edition with only one win, have now won both their games this season.
It was an all-round performance from the home side with several key contributions in both the innings. Zak Crawley and Glenn Maxwell gave them a great start despite losing Adam Rossington early. Maxwell was cleaned up by Tom Hartley for 15-ball 21 while Crawley went on to score 41 off 34.
Morgan carried the form he found in the first game, making 37 off 26 balls which included three sixes. But the real push was provided by the man playing his 600th match in the shorter format Kieron Pollard. The West Indian blasted 34 runs off 11 balls with four maximums to propel LS to 160/6 in 100 balls. Paul Walter was excellent with the ball for Originals, picking 2 for 18 in 20 balls, while Tristan Stubbs conceded 8 off his 10.
Chasing the target, Manchester could not get off the blocks quickly. Jos Buttler (6 off 11) struggled to time the ball and in an attempt to hack the ball, gave away a sky-high catch, which Mason Crane held on to incredibly well. Phil Salt had occupied the crease for 34 balls but the opener could not get going at all, managing only 36 runs. Russell, who was the biggest hope for Originals, was run out while trying to take a single for run-a-ball 5.
All five of the London Spirit bowled extremely well as they choked Originals and grabbed wickets consistently. Jordan Thompson was the pick of the bowlers, snaring 4 for 21 in his quota, whereas Liam Dawson and Crane bagged two wickets each.
Earlier, Trent Rockets edged Birmingham Phoenix in the third match by six wickets on the back of Alex Hales’ half century. Oval Invincibles then defeated Welsh Fire by 39 runs in the fifth match on September 7, courtesy of a Will Jacks batting masterclass.
London Spirit sit at the top of the table with two victories in two games while Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire have lost both their respective matches in the competition.
Brief scores
London Spirit 160/6 (Crawley 41, Morgan 37, Pollard 33; Walter 2/18) defeated Manchester Originals 108 in 98 balls (Salt 36, Hartley 17; Thompson 4/21, Crane 2/21) by 52 runs.
