London Spirit secured a seven-wicket win over MI London at The Oval on Wednesday, recording their first victory of The Hundred campaign. Lhuan-dre Pretorius top-scored with 64 off 28 balls, and Dewald Brevis added an unbeaten 37 as Spirit chased down 165 with 11 balls remaining.
The result lifted Spirit off the bottom of the table and handed them their second win over their London rivals in ten meetings.
Pretorius Powers Spirit’s Chase
Jonny Bairstow and Pretorius gave Spirit a fast start, and Pretorius launched Trent Boult over midwicket for a 106-metre six early in the innings. The pair took the score to 50 in just 18 balls and closed the powerplay at 61 without loss, putting MI London under pressure from the outset.
Bairstow fell for 23 off 12 deliveries, but Pretorius carried on, reaching his first Hundred half-century off 23 balls and clearing the boundary seven times. He was eventually dismissed by Boult with the total on 101, roughly halfway through the innings. Brevis then took over, striking 37 not out off 18 balls to finish the chase and give Spirit their maiden win of the season.
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MI London’s Innings Builds Slowly Before Late Push
MI London endured a cautious start against the new-ball bowling of David Willey and Adam Milne. Will Jacks and James Vince managed just 28 without loss through the powerplay as the ball moved around.
Both batters found their rhythm later, targeting Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye, and Jacks brought up his fifty off 30 balls. Vince fell for 26 to James Coles, and Jamie Overton then removed Jacks and incoming batter Nicholas Pooran within three deliveries of each other.
Jacks departed for 65 off 44 balls, a knock that made him the leading run-scorer in the history of The Hundred men’s competition. Jason Roy, recalled in place of rested captain Sam Curran, was caught behind off Overton after review. Sherfane Rutherford then provided a late boost, hitting 41 off 19 balls before falling on the final delivery of the innings, pushing MI London past 160.
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Pretorius Credits Training Session for Match-Winning Knock
Speaking after the match, Pretorius pointed to a training session with batting coach Dinesh Karthik as the reason behind his innings. He said working on his shot over short fine leg and fine leg paid off during the chase, even though the same shot eventually got him out. He added that he was pleased to contribute to the team’s first win of the campaign and hoped the momentum would carry forward into the coming matches.
Overton finished with figures of 3 for 30 for MI London, while Willey and Milne shared the new-ball responsibilities effectively during the powerplay. For Spirit, the win moves them up the table after a difficult start to the tournament, while MI London will look to regroup after a batting effort that fell short despite Jacks’ record-breaking contribution. Both sides return to action later in the competition as the group stage continues.
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