The Hundred Men’s 2022, Match 17 Review: Alex Hales, Tabraiz Shamsi guide Trent Rockets to 25-run win

Trent Rockets won against Oval Invincibles by 25 runs in Match 17 of Men’s The Hundred at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on August 17, Wednesday, and reached the second position on the league table with their fourth win of the season in five games. It was a thumping batting performance by the hosts, steered by their opener Alex Hales, that sealed the deal for the team.

Coming into the game, both teams had three wins in four matches, and it was an important fixture in the context of the league positions. Oval Invincibles skipper Sam Billings won the toss and put Trent Rockets in to bat first. On an ideal batting surface, the prolific opening pair of Hales and Dawid Malan started off with aplomb, scoring 48 off the 25-ball powerplay.

The opening stand came to a halt after 46 balls for 84 runs after Hales scored a blistering 59 off 29, and 20 balls later, Malan was dismissed for 38. The finishing touch was given by Colin Munro and skipper Lewis Gregory, who scored unbeaten 23 and 24 respectively, to take the team to a total of 181. The pick of the bowlers for Oval Invincibles was pacer Mohammad Hasnain, who finished with two wickets for 28 runs.

Spinners do the trick for the hosts

With a huge target in hand, Billings’ side needed a good start. But, the openers Jason Roy (20) and Will Jacks (11) departed early. Pinch hitter Sam Curran came in at number three and scored 27 off 19, and then the skipper was sent back for only a three-ball duck.

Jordan Cox tried to pull the strings for the visitors, scoring an unbeaten 61 off 33. However, with the side losing wickets at regular intervals, it was too little too late for Oval Invincibles. Consequently, they only scored 156 runs for the loss of five wickets in 100 balls. Left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi starred with the ball, picking up two wickets for 21 runs in 20 balls, complemented by left-arm orthodox spinner Samit Patel, who finished with one wicket for 26 runs.