While we will have to wait until Wednesday evening for the official confirmation, with 24 points and a drool worthy net run rate against their name, Oval Invincibles are all but through to the final. That means they are on the verge of making it a hat-trick of titles in The Men's Hundred.
Can anyone stop them? We will find out together in the upcoming days. For now, it is time for the troika of Darpan Tikiya, Saptak Sanyal and Paras Yadav to sign off. Keep following CREX for more cricketing action from around the world. Sayonara!
Will Jacks (Hero of the Match):"Everybody was saying that the sun was striking today in the evening so it was a bit struggling to watch the high ball. I judged it a bit late today. It feels good to take that.
I think the wicket turned better with the game progressed and under lights, the batting was easier. It is good to get a big victory. We have worked hard all season to make it to the finals and now we are close to that. Before Sunday, we have a few areas to work on."
Hero of the Match: Will Jacks
1:38 AM IST, 9:08 PM local time: Oval Invincibles bounce back from a rare loss in the previous match to thrash London Spirit. With this victory, they have all but confirmed a berth in the finale! That means, they are virtually one win away from making it a hat-trick of titles.
The fact that we can — despite this clinical victory — say that they weren't at their dominant best, is a testimony to their imperiousness throughout the season. And yet again, there were multiple blokes who contributed to the win. Let's start with the most understated one — Nathan Sowter.
Remember, Jamie Smith played a firecracker of an innings at the top — sparkling but short-lived. Towards the end of Spirit's innings, Jamie Overton and Ryan Higgins provided effervescence. But it was in between those that Invincibles pulled things back. And that is where Sowter's spell of leg spin was crucial. He exhibited good control and delivered four tidy sets while also dismissing Williamson and Turner.
Then, of course, Will Jacks. Losing his opening partner for a golden duck did not dampen the right-hander's spirit. His shot-making was authoritative and exuberant, laying the solid foundation for the run chase. Jordan Cox, then, even bettered him. The number-3's domineering knock only came to an end because he tried to fancy a shot against a pretty straight ball.
Plus, there were some smaller contributions — Sam Curran's cameo with the bat, Tom Curran's bowling, and obviously, the overall fielding of the team. We saw some splendid catches even today — including Jacks' jaw-dropping one-hander to dismiss Pope. All in all, OI look a well-oiled machine heading towards the final.
Meanwhile for Spirit, this marks the end of a pretty ordinary season. Apart from the three aforementioned cameos, Dawson's neat bowling was the only positive tonight. Maybe add Ollie Pope's stunning catch to dismiss Jacks (revenge, huh?) if you want to stretch it.
16th Five
Oval Invincibles
153/4
Donovan Ferreira
24(9)
Sam Billings
2(2)
Liam Dawson
2-30(18 b)
78b L Dawson to D Ferreira
6 SIXXXX! This is what Donovan Ferreira does the best and he has done it again today. A cracking hit to finish things off in style. Dawson bowls a length ball outside off. Ferreira gets the pace, gets the width and he just loves it. Shifts a touch to his left in a jiffy and swats it over long-off for a maximum. Oval Invincibles are inching closer to another Men's Hundred finale with this gargantuan victory.
77b L Dawson to D Ferreira
4 FOURR! Fortune favours the brave. A good length ball outside off. Ferreira looks to thump it over the off side but gets an inside edge that nutmegs Jamie Smith and beats the short third man fielder's chase.
76b L Dawson to S Billings
1 Around the wicket. Length at the pads at 58 mph. Billings guides it to the left of short fine leg for one.