Watch: A league round match of the 2023 Men’s Hundred between Welsh Fire and the Oval Invincibles ended in a thrilling tie yesterday (August 6), after Tom Curran just managed to make his ground on the final ball.
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Welsh Fire put up 138-6 for the Invincibles to chase at the Kia Oval, after Tom Abell opted to bat first. They were 70-5 at one point, but Ben Green smashed a 16-ball 25, while wicketkeeper-opener Joe Clarke batted through the innings with an unbeaten 46-ball 69.
For the Oval Invincibles, Gus Atkinson claimed 3-25 and Tom Curran 2-27, while Zak Chappell went for only 15 runs in his 20 balls.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-22) struck with the first ball of the innings – a feat he has now performed twice in his first two matches in the Hundred – by taking out Jason Roy. Green claimed 2-26 as well, but Jordan Cox made a 43-ball 51 to keep the hosts in the game.
They needed 13 when left-arm fast bowler David Payne began the final five-ball set. Bowling from round the wicket, he tried to drill a yorker, but Curran played it past square-leg for a run. 12 in 4.
Payne followed with a wide outside off. 11 in 4.
The left-handed Narine swung at the next ball and missed. The batters ran a leg-bye as the ball trickled past extra cover. 10 in 3.
Payne’s attempted yorker now resulted in a full toss on leg stump. Curran swung gleefully, and the ball soared over square leg into the stands. 4 in 2.
Payne attempted a yorker again. This time, he overpitched, and Curran pushed the ball to the left of Glenn Phillips at deep mid wicket. The throw at the bowler’s end found Narine, committed into a second run to get Curran back on strike, short of the crease. 3 in 1.
The last ball was on leg again. Curran swung towards square-leg and sprinted, as did new batter Gus Atkinson. For the second run, Curran had to dive – and even then, it took the TV umpire several attempts to rule him not out.
Watch Oval Invincibles versus Welsh Fire at Hundred 2023 match end in a tie:
Every.
Ball.
Counts. #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/FfSgaFVbDF— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 6, 2023