Brad Wheal produced a stellar performance on debut to pip Manchester Originals (MNR) and gave London Spirit (LNS) their first win in the Hundred. The 24-year-old successfully defended nine runs off the final five balls and registered a four-wicket haul. London Spirit, who has three points from six matches, is still bottom of the points table, while Manchester Originals are fifth in the standings with six points.
Choosing to bat first, London Spirit lost the wicket of Luis Reece in the fifth ball of the innings. Tom Hartley, who conceded two fours in his first three deliveries, cleaned up Reece. Meanwhile, Adam Rossington and Josh Inglis had no difficulty in finding boundaries. The visitors ended the powerplay at 38/1.
Rossington welcomed Matt Parkinson with a six, but the leg spinner dismissed Inglis in his sixth ball. Debutant Joe Cracknell came to the crease and struck fours off Calvin Harrison and Colin Ackermann. However, Hartley’s double strike dented London Spirit’s charge. The youngster removed Rossington, four runs away from a fifty, after Parkinson took a brilliant one-handed catch, while Cracknell departed for 15.
London Spirit captain Eoin Morgan and all-rounder Ravi Bopara rotated the strike well early in their partnership. The all-rounder smashed Ackermann for a six, while Morgan, too, managed to clear the ropes in Fred Klaassen’s second set of five. Parkinson prized out the wicket of Bopara, who gave a comfortable catch for Harrison at long-off.
Overseas pacer Lockie Ferguson conceded just 14 runs in his last two sets of five and claimed the wicket of Mohammad Nabi. Roelof van der Merwe hit two boundaries off Carlos Brathwaite at the death. London Spirit finished on 142/6 in their 100 balls.
Phil Salt made a terrific start to the run-chase, scoring three boundaries in van der Merwe’s first set of five. But Nabi silenced the home crowd as he sent Joe Clarke and Colin Munro back to the pavilion in a 10-ball spell. Wheal put them in further trouble by dismissing Salt for 14.
The onus was on Ackermann and Tom Lammonby to stitch together a solid partnership. The duo managed to find at least a boundary in every five balls and ensured that the asking rate was well within their range. Van der Merwe leaked 15 runs in his second set of five after Ackermann scored two boundaries and a six. Manchester Originals required 67 from 50 balls.
The 66-run partnership came to an end when Lammonby fell for 27. The new batsman Brathwaite hit a boundary in his first ball. London Spirit bowlers put the pressure back on Manchester Originals with a few dot balls. However, Brathwaite smashed two sixes off Blake Cullen.
Ackermann brought up his fifty with a huge six. Two balls later, Wheal grabbed his second wicket as the half-centurion made his way back to the dressing room. Brathwaite eased the pressure with a six in Cullen’s final set. But the Manchester Originals stand-in captain threw away his wicket in the 95th ball. The hosts still needed nine off five balls.
Three wickets fell in the final five balls of the match. Wheal wrecked Harisson’s stumps, while Cullen and Rossington combined to run out Hartley, and Klaassen, needing seven off the final ball, dismissed hit-wicket.
LNS 142/6 in 100 balls (A Rossington 46; T Hartley 3/27, M Parkinson 2/18)
MNR 136/9 in 100 balls (C Ackermann 53; B Wheal 4/17, M Nabi 2/19)
Player of the Match
With London Spirit low on confidence, Wheal pulled off an inspiring display to steer the franchise to its maiden win in the 100-ball tournament. He started the match on a brilliant note as he clipped the bails of Manchester Original opener Phil Salt in his first ball. Despite Ackermann dominating him, he picked up the wicket of the Dutch international to turn the tie in London Spirit’s favor.
The South Africa-born pacer was designated to bowl the final five balls of the match. Wheal removed Harrison in the second delivery, picked up another wicket, and gave away just two runs.
Top Fantasy XI
B Wheal (132 pts), T Hartley (80 pts), C Ackermann (74 pts), M Nabi (65 pts), M Parkinson (66 pts), A Rossington (61 pts), C Brathwaite (41 pts), M Crane (37 pts) B Cullen (37 pts), T Lammonby (36 pts), J Inglis (34 pts)
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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