Oval Invincibles captain Sam Billings retired himself out against London Spirit at The Men's Hundred today (August 4), after struggling through his knock of 17 off 22.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, the Invincibles started poorly, losing Will Jacks on the 12th ball with just four runs on the board. While they managed to keep a check on wickets, the Invincibles never really got going with the bat. The second wicket, that of Dawid Malan, fell on the 41st ball with the score reading 41 as well. It brought captain Billings to the crease at No.4.
A tough knock
Six of the first eight balls that Billings faced were dot deliveries, adding to the mounting pressure on the batters. At five off 10 and the board reading 67-2 off 60, Billings got his first boundary, a six off Liam Dawson.
Hopes for staging a turnaround were thwarted, however, as Billings faced 12 more deliveries for just six more runs. After getting a single from an inside edge off the bowling of Nathan Ellis on the 87th ball of the innings, Billings decided he had had enough. With Donovan Ferreira – fresh off a 24-ball 49 against the Northern Superchargers – waiting on the bench, Billings retired himself out at 17 off 23 to give the South African a go.
A strong finish
While Ferreira himself faced just three out of the remaining 13 deliveries, and scored only two runs, Oval Invincibles managed to get 38 out of the last 13 balls, with Sam Curran doing bulk of the scoring.
In fact, three of the next four deliveries after Billings retired himself out were hit for sixes by Curran, who finished unbeaten on 51 off 22, having hit six maximums in the innings. The Invincibles finished on 147-4 from their 100 balls.
Sam Curran with a brilliant 51* runs off 22 balls 🤩👌
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 4, 2024
Oval Invincibles end the innings with 147 runs!#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/I7qn1lZeGc
This was the first time in his entire senior professional career that Billings was retired out.
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