Mitchell Santner smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 23 balls to guide Trent Rockets to a six-wicket win over MI London at The Oval on Saturday, securing the team’s sixth straight victory in this year’s Hundred competition. The result all but guarantees Trent Rockets a top-three finish and puts them within reach of an automatic spot in the Lord’s final.
Chasing 148 for victory, MI London’s bowlers struck early and reduced the visitors to 46 for 3 inside 30 balls. Tom Curran removed Finn Allen cheaply, Aneurin Donald fell to a mix-up in the middle after making 23, and Richard Gleeson produced a sharp caught-and-bowled to send back Sam Billings for a duck. Ben Duckett then edged behind off Gleeson for 27, leaving the Rockets under pressure with the required rate climbing.
Santner-David Stand Seals the Chase
Santner joined Tim David at the crease and the pair rebuilt the innings with an unbroken 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Santner targeted the boundary from the outset and brought up his half-century off just 22 deliveries, while David played the calmer role and finished on 32 not out from 24 balls.
Their stand carried Trent Rockets home with 10 balls remaining and denied MI London any late twist. Santner picked up the Player of the Match award for his innings and described the win as important given the tight competition throughout the tournament.
Fielding Errors Cost MI London
MI London’s batting effort earlier in the day rested heavily on Sam Curran, who scored a career-best 72 off 46 balls and struck three sixes in a five-ball burst during the middle overs. Will Jacks gave the innings a fast start with 39 off 26 balls before a brilliant one-handed catch-and-bowled effort from Calvin Harrison ended his stay. James Vince was dismissed by a stunning catch from David, and Nicholas Pooran fell to a direct hit from Duckett at extra cover two balls later.
Despite those moments of quality fielding, MI London let the initiative slip in the final overs. The side dropped three catches inside a span of 13 balls and could not build on Curran’s innings, with Ollie Pope retiring out after a slow 8 off nine balls. Lewis Gregory dismissed Sherfane Rutherford for a golden duck near the death and returned to remove Curran shortly after, but the total of 147 for 7 proved short of what MI London needed on a good batting surface.
Rockets Eye Automatic Final Berth
Trent Rockets now sit at the top of the points table and need just one more win to book their place in the final without depending on the Eliminator. They face Southern Brave on Monday, and a victory there would confirm their direct passage to Lord’s.
MI London, meanwhile, occupy the fourth position and must beat bottom-placed Birmingham Phoenix on Wednesday at Edgbaston to keep their qualification hopes alive ahead of Friday’s Eliminator.
With Santner and David both in form, Trent Rockets head into their next fixture as clear favorites to close out the group stage on top.
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