165/3 (17.4)
CR : 9.34
164/5 (20.0)
CR : 8.20
London Spirit won by 7 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
L Pretorius
64(28)
Over 18
London Spirit 165/3
James Rew19(13)
Dewald Brevis37(18)
Trent Boult1-35(19 b)
LS won by 7 wickets
1:53 AM IST, 9:23 PM local time: Two young South African batters shimmered under the lights at The Oval as London Spirit notched up their first victory of the season. They defeated MI London by 7 wickets and with 11 balls to spare.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius set it up. The southpaw seemed like a man on a mission, right from the offset. He looked purposeful, appeared to be watching the ball like a pumpkin and one by one, he unfurled shots that left the fans gasping for breath. The ball-striking was crisp, the wrist work was scintillating and several times in the game, the crowd was looking for cover as Pretorius went hell for leather. While he was smacking it around, MI London held Rashid Khan back too, further allowing the match to slip away. What made Pretorius' knock extra special was the fact that he had to leave the field in the first innings after being involved in a nasty collision with teammate James Coles.
While the opener set it up, Dewald Brevis provided the finishing touches. He came into bat with the wind threatening to change direction. However, the right-hander tamed it like a comic-book superhero. He unleashed swashbuckling shots of his own to match Pretorius' bravado and finished with a splendid 37* (18). Honourable mention to Jonny Bairstow's 12-ball-23 that was short-lived, but just as entertaining.
Earlier, MI London had put up 164/5 in their 100 balls, after being put into bat. Will Jacks top-scored with a 44-ball-65, while Sherfane Rutherford stole the limelight by scoring a 19-ball-41*. They were 91 for none at one stage, but weren't free-flowing until Rutherford stepped in. Sam Curran's absence felt across the game for the hosts. Don't forget the contribution of Jamie Overton either. The fast bowler picked 3/30 off his 20 balls to pull things back and ensure that the chase was not out of reach.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius set it up. The southpaw seemed like a man on a mission, right from the offset. He looked purposeful, appeared to be watching the ball like a pumpkin and one by one, he unfurled shots that left the fans gasping for breath. The ball-striking was crisp, the wrist work was scintillating and several times in the game, the crowd was looking for cover as Pretorius went hell for leather. While he was smacking it around, MI London held Rashid Khan back too, further allowing the match to slip away. What made Pretorius' knock extra special was the fact that he had to leave the field in the first innings after being involved in a nasty collision with teammate James Coles.
While the opener set it up, Dewald Brevis provided the finishing touches. He came into bat with the wind threatening to change direction. However, the right-hander tamed it like a comic-book superhero. He unleashed swashbuckling shots of his own to match Pretorius' bravado and finished with a splendid 37* (18). Honourable mention to Jonny Bairstow's 12-ball-23 that was short-lived, but just as entertaining.
Earlier, MI London had put up 164/5 in their 100 balls, after being put into bat. Will Jacks top-scored with a 44-ball-65, while Sherfane Rutherford stole the limelight by scoring a 19-ball-41*. They were 91 for none at one stage, but weren't free-flowing until Rutherford stepped in. Sam Curran's absence felt across the game for the hosts. Don't forget the contribution of Jamie Overton either. The fast bowler picked 3/30 off his 20 balls to pull things back and ensure that the chase was not out of reach.
Highest Successful Run-Chase for London Spirit in Men’s Hundred:
165/3 vs MI London, The Oval, 2026 (T-165), Tonight*
147/3 vs Sunrisers Leeds, Leeds, 2022 (T-144)
96/7 vs Welsh Fire, Lord's, 2024 (T-95)
165/3 vs MI London, The Oval, 2026 (T-165), Tonight*
147/3 vs Sunrisers Leeds, Leeds, 2022 (T-144)
96/7 vs Welsh Fire, Lord's, 2024 (T-95)
Hero of the Match: Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Lhuan-dre Pretorius (POTM): "[On his collision with James Coles] Yeah, James is a bit stronger than I thought. He looked more fine than me. At the halfway stage, I said coach, I might struggle to run a bit but will try to smack it. Glad we got over the line, hopefully we can carry this momentum forward.
[On his form] Yeah, I just think. I batted for a while yesterday. I have been working with DK for that short over fine leg, it paid off luckily and it also got me out. But yeah, that's part of the game. We knew it will play a role with the dimensions of the ground.
[On getting used to the conditions] Yeah, really good. 40 mins away Lord's is completely different from here. People are lovely here, they love their cricket and the crowds are amazing, I am loving it.
[Future ambitions] Yeah, I want to play Test cricket, it is right up there. I want to play it over any other format. But I enjoy each format as it has its own challenges."
[On his form] Yeah, I just think. I batted for a while yesterday. I have been working with DK for that short over fine leg, it paid off luckily and it also got me out. But yeah, that's part of the game. We knew it will play a role with the dimensions of the ground.
[On getting used to the conditions] Yeah, really good. 40 mins away Lord's is completely different from here. People are lovely here, they love their cricket and the crowds are amazing, I am loving it.
[Future ambitions] Yeah, I want to play Test cricket, it is right up there. I want to play it over any other format. But I enjoy each format as it has its own challenges."
Highest Successful Run-Chase vs MI London in Men’s Hundred:
182/6 – Birmingham Phoenix, Birmingham, 2025 (T-181)
174/4 – Birmingham Phoenix, Birmingham, 2021 (T-173)
165/3 – London Spirit, The Oval, 2026 (T-165), Tonight*
151/4 – Trent Rockets, Nottingham, 2024 (T-151)
182/6 – Birmingham Phoenix, Birmingham, 2025 (T-181)
174/4 – Birmingham Phoenix, Birmingham, 2021 (T-173)
165/3 – London Spirit, The Oval, 2026 (T-165), Tonight*
151/4 – Trent Rockets, Nottingham, 2024 (T-151)
Liam Livingstone (London Spirit Captain): (On registering the first win of the tournament) "Yeah, it's been a bit of a frustrating start. I feel like we've done a lot fairly well, but we've lost the crunch moments, which meant we ended up on the wrong side of two very close games. It was nice to come out on the right side of it today.
(On the bowling performance) We started really well. The pitch was a bit tacky to begin with, so it was probably a good toss to win. Our new-ball bowlers have been really good throughout the tournament, so there are no issues there. I thought we changed things up well through the middle, tried to keep the ball away from the short side, and Jamie (Overton) bowled beautifully. We used him to try and take wickets because we know how effective that can be. We were maybe a little bit sloppy at the death, but we felt confident we could chase the target.
(On the collision between James Coles and Lhuan-dre Pretorius) It was one of those things where you could see it happening but couldn't do anything about it. I was just hoping they weren't running into the same space. It was a huge collision. Fair play to Coles because Lhuan-dre is a big boy. We're incredibly lucky that both of them are okay. They're two outstanding young talents we've invested in, and they're only going to become bigger assets as the tournament goes on.
(On the South African youngsters adapting to The Hundred) They're (Pretorius and Brevis) two very talented boys. Hundred cricket has its own rhythm, and it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. We're trying to pass on as much knowledge as we can to help fast-track that process. Brevis looks like he's finding his rhythm nicely, and Lhuan-dre is so dangerous in the Powerplay because he hits the ball into awkward areas. I thought they were both phenomenal tonight.
(On what makes The Hundred different) It just feels like a different rhythm. Being able to face 10 balls is a big advantage. Sometimes you're better off taking three or four balls to get yourself in before cashing in later. In this format, not losing wickets in the Powerplay can be more important than simply scoring quickly. It's a different rhythm to T20 cricket, but if we keep playing like that, we'll be alright.
(On his exchange with Rashid Khan) I just told James Rew to keep trying to hit the ball to the short side. I've played against Rashid a lot, and I like trying to get him angry because I feel like he sometimes misses his lengths when he's fired up. I even told him to bowl from the other end so I could have a go at the short boundary, but he wasn't too keen on that."
(On the bowling performance) We started really well. The pitch was a bit tacky to begin with, so it was probably a good toss to win. Our new-ball bowlers have been really good throughout the tournament, so there are no issues there. I thought we changed things up well through the middle, tried to keep the ball away from the short side, and Jamie (Overton) bowled beautifully. We used him to try and take wickets because we know how effective that can be. We were maybe a little bit sloppy at the death, but we felt confident we could chase the target.
(On the collision between James Coles and Lhuan-dre Pretorius) It was one of those things where you could see it happening but couldn't do anything about it. I was just hoping they weren't running into the same space. It was a huge collision. Fair play to Coles because Lhuan-dre is a big boy. We're incredibly lucky that both of them are okay. They're two outstanding young talents we've invested in, and they're only going to become bigger assets as the tournament goes on.
(On the South African youngsters adapting to The Hundred) They're (Pretorius and Brevis) two very talented boys. Hundred cricket has its own rhythm, and it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. We're trying to pass on as much knowledge as we can to help fast-track that process. Brevis looks like he's finding his rhythm nicely, and Lhuan-dre is so dangerous in the Powerplay because he hits the ball into awkward areas. I thought they were both phenomenal tonight.
(On what makes The Hundred different) It just feels like a different rhythm. Being able to face 10 balls is a big advantage. Sometimes you're better off taking three or four balls to get yourself in before cashing in later. In this format, not losing wickets in the Powerplay can be more important than simply scoring quickly. It's a different rhythm to T20 cricket, but if we keep playing like that, we'll be alright.
(On his exchange with Rashid Khan) I just told James Rew to keep trying to hit the ball to the short side. I've played against Rashid a lot, and I like trying to get him angry because I feel like he sometimes misses his lengths when he's fired up. I even told him to bowl from the other end so I could have a go at the short boundary, but he wasn't too keen on that."
That marks the end of a highly entertaining day of The Hundred, especially at the Oval. The women's game ended in a tie and the men's fixture saw some swashbuckling performances from the young guns. We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we did bringing it to you.
Time for us to say goodbye. This is Darpan signing off on the behalf of Dev Rajawat, Ajay Pal Singh, Aman and Paras Yadav. Keep following Crickxo for more cricketing action from around the world. Sayonara!
Time for us to say goodbye. This is Darpan signing off on the behalf of Dev Rajawat, Ajay Pal Singh, Aman and Paras Yadav. Keep following Crickxo for more cricketing action from around the world. Sayonara!