Sublime Root leads Rockets into Hundred knockouts

Sophia Gardens’ Hundred men’s competition

Welsh Fire 150-6 (100 balls): Eskinazi 53 (42), Cook 2-17

Trent Rockets 152-7 (99 balls): Root 64* (41), Green 2-34

Trent Rockets won by three wickets.

Trent Rockets won the match against Welsh Fire 2-0 thanks to Joe Root’s sublime 64 not out, clinching their place in the Hundred men’s standings.

With 25 balls left, Rockets were cruising at 151, but they lost five wickets for 20 runs as Fire’s bowlers dragged themselves back into contention.

With 14 needed from 5, David Payne made Fire the favorites after Marcus Stoinis and David Willey were required to score 18 from 10 balls for the visitors.

Sam Hain scored the winning runs with a ball with no trouble as Root held his nerve and whacks a six and a four to regain control.

With their victory, Rockets moved into contention with the top three teams and defeated the rest, joining Northern Superchargers and Oval Invincibles at the top of the table.

Payne had Root caught at point from the fourth ball of the innings when he was yet to score, but the third umpire confirmed that the seamer had decisively overstepped. Fire were left to rue this.

Tom Banton’s 32 was the next highest contribution, with four four fours and three sixes remaining from Root’s 41-ball knock remaining chanceless.

Before that, Fire’s own innings sprang into question as they sprinted around a run per ball for the first 60 deliveries, with both Jonny Bairstow and Steve Smith both falling early for eight.

Opening batsman Stephen Eskinazi added 97 for the third wicket with Tom Abell as he recovered his knock, taking 53 from 42 balls, including a six off David Willey, which cleared the Sophia Gardens pavilion.

At the end of the inning, Fire struggled to get started without a set batter as the pair fell in consecutive balls.

The table toppers advance straight to the final on August 31; however, the final standings of the men’s table are still to be determined.

London Spirit will need to beat Oval Invincibles at 15:00 BST to increase their top-three hopes in the women’s competition, which is a crucial day for them as they aim to do so.

At 18:30 BST, Invincibles have already confirmed a spot in the knockouts, and Spirit has already been eliminated.