Invincibles win third Hundred men’s title in a row

Lord’s, Lord’s, and The Hundred Men’s Competition Final.

Oval Invincibles 168-5 (100 balls): Jacks 72 (41), Cox 40 (28)

Trent Rockets 142-8 (100 balls): Stoinis 64 (37), Sowter 3-25

By 26 runs, Invincibles won.

In the men’s final, Trent Rockets defeated Oval Invincibles by 26 runs to win their third straight Hundred title, Will Jacks hit a brilliant 72 from 41 balls.

Invincibles, who had won the title, came in as clear favorites and lived up to their word at Lord’s.

Invincibles posted 168-5, making it the highest individual score in a men’s Hundred final for the team. Jacks then hit the first ball of the match down the ground for four.

A 32-ball fifty was achieved by the England right-hander with an 87-run partnership with Jordan Cox, who also hit seven fours and two sixes, including an enormous blow into the top tier, to make it all possible.

At the halfway point, Rockets’ success was matched by the fact that they only conceded 25 runs from the final 20 balls.

However, despite a relatively young start, it quickly looked beyond them and required a competition-record-setting chase at Lord’s.

Not Australia star Adam Zampa, who was flown in just for the final-but frequently overlooked compatriot Nathan Sowter, made the telling contribution.

In his first 10-ball set, he removed Joe Root, Rehan Ahmed, and Tom Banton, leaving the Rockets reeling, for just three runs.

Rockets came out on top with a 64 from 37 balls before Marcus Stoinis made it too late, and the game ended poorly, 142-8.

It wasn’t quite Zak Crawley, Rory Burns, or Steve Harmison.

However, Jacks’ ease of David Willey’s first ball back down the ground for four wasn’t all that bad when first balls are used as indicators of what will come next.

The opener backing his timing, not trying to knock it out of the park, and knowing that it would hit the mark, gave the shot a certain air.

Later, the fireworks could arrive, which they did.

The only surprise was Jacks’ failure to kick on to reach his century after bludgeoning his 51st and 52nd sixes, which are the second most in the Hundred’s history.

He did not seem to be slowing down his attack, but his 172.60 strike rate demonstrated how decisively he led the Rockets attack from the first ball.

With 15 balls remaining in the inning, Stoinis’ slower ball eventually made sense for him, and the Rockets were damaged despite Invincibles’ customary late-game explosion of boundaries not coming.

A few early boundaries for Banton would not bother them because this is an Invincibles side that is only used to winning.

Many people claim that I’ll be called up for England, but that’s only going to happen if I score runs for the team I’m playing for, so I’m just trying to get runs out there every time.

David Willey, the captain of the Trent Rockets, said, “We are very disappointed by the way we have lost.”

“I enjoy being the captain, and I enjoy the challenge. I want to keep doing it because it highlights my best qualities in my game.

Nathan Sowter, the bowler for the Oval Invincibles, said, “An incredible season again. Every game, a different player has stood up, so credit to all the boys.