Invincibles win again – what makes holders so good?

Utilita Bowl, Southampton, The Hundred Men’s Competition

Southern Brave 133 (98): Cartwright 42 (30), Rashid 3-30, S Curran 3-21

Oval Invincibles 134-3 (89 balls): Cox 56 (37), S Curran 50 (32)

Seven wickets separated Oval Invincibles.

Oval Invincibles, a two-time defending champion, won by seven wickets to move clear at the top of the men’s hurdle standings.

The bowlers led Southampton by dismissing their hosts for 133 after their hosts posted a record-setting Saturday score.

With the new ball, Australia’s left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff took two wickets, and Brave were 44-6 after 40 balls when Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan took three wickets in his first five.

Hilton Cartwright took three wickets and a run-out to end the innings in 98 balls, but Sam Curran took three more to raise the score.

Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye, who had a strong opening partnership this year, both lost in the powerplay.

However, Jordan Cox and Curran combined for a stand of 101 in 64 balls to keep Invincibles from any danger.

Cox, who impressed again with 56 from 37 balls in his team’s white-ball match against Welsh Fire on Saturday, and Curran, who was dropped from England’s white-ball squad on Friday, finished 50 not out to send his side home with 11 balls to spare.

Oval Invincibles have won 78.2% of matches since the start of 2023. No team in the world’s leading men’s T20 league can match that record.

Given the talent, Muyeye said Saturday, playing on this team “feels like playing for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.”

The Bulls twice completed a three-peat, with the help of legendary Michael Jordan. Would anyone bet on Invincibles’s ability to finish their first game by the end of the month?

They are a stable franchise under the direction of coach Tom Moody, who is calm.

In The Hundred, six of their players, including spinner Nathan Sowter, captain Sam Billings, brother Tom, Cox, Jacks, and brother Tom, have played for the team for more than 25 games. No other side can match that figure.

It is obvious why Curran said it’s “like coming to work and playing with your mates” when he says playing for the Invincibles.

Additionally, their teams have been created with skill.

Their England internationals are not Test regulars, whether by accident or design.

The biggest names in Invincibles are almost always available, helping other teams when players like Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, and Ollie Pope have their playing time slowed down by Test exploits.

Their work in the draft or the direct signings this year has also been smart.

With Australia’s Adam Zampa, West Indies’ Sunil Narine, and Afghanistan international Rashid Khan all signing for more than £100,000, they have spent significant sums of money on top international spinners in each of their previous three seasons.

Left-armer quicks, a regular feature of successful T20 teams, have also been targeted. Behrendorff and Spencer Johnson, both of whom Sam Curran and Spencer Johnson, were both present this year.

A variety-packed bowling attack is the outcome.

They have taken 31 wickets on the powerplay since the 2023 edition started, which is the second-most for any team.

The Curran brothers come into the fore as the team concede runs at 1.59 per ball, which is the best total for any team at the time.

Invincibles have hit 92 sixes in their final 25 games, a 21-game advantage over the next best side, in the last five seasons of The Hundred.

Their starting lineup is long, with Jacks and Muyeye consistently hitting the top, Cox consistently producing his best baseball, and Billings as the only reliable middle man.

In the men’s Hundred, the skipper won six of the six successful run chases.

No wonder they have achieved such great success.

On Tuesday, Trent Rockets and Manchester Originals will play a double-header at Trent Bridge.

The men’s game begins at 18:30 BST, while the women’s game begins at 15:00 BST.