MI London edged past Southern Brave by three wickets in a last-ball finish at the Utilita Bowl on Monday night, with Will Jacks’ 54 setting up the chase in the ninth match of The Hundred Men’s Competition.
Ollie Pope steered the visitors home with a two off the final delivery, sealing a tense victory that lifted MI London to third in the table and handed Brave their third defeat of the season.
Jacks Anchors Chase After Early Wobble
MI London’s pursuit of 130 began shakily. Marcus Stoinis struck twice in the powerplay, removing former Brave captain James Vince, caught in the deep by Tristan Stubbs, then dismissing Nicholas Pooran behind the stumps off the very next ball. Jacks steadied the innings alongside Sam Curran, and the pair brought the target down to 76 needed off the last 50 balls. Adil Rashid bowled Curran for 30, breaking the partnership before Stoinis returned to remove Jacks himself, leaving MI London needing 37 from 21 balls. Stoinis finished with figures of 3 for 17, the standout bowling performance of the match.
Sherfane Rutherford briefly swung momentum back toward MI London, clearing the ropes twice off Chris Jordan. Jordan responded by running him out with a direct hit at the stumps. Tom Curran fell next, bowled by Nikhil Chaudhary, which left the equation at eight required from seven balls. Rashid Khan was run out shortly after, bringing Trent Boult to the crease with three runs needed from three balls.
Final Over Drama Decides the Contest
The subsequent delivery was marked by a missed opportunity, since Chaudhary was unable to hold on to a return catch when he bowled, leading to a long halt as he got treated by the physio. Boult found a single through midwicket on the following ball, rotating strike to Pope. Pope then cut the winning runs through backward point, completing the chase with no balls remaining and confirming MI London’s three-wicket win.
Speaking after the match, Jacks, who was named Player of the Match, called it a hard-fought contest on a tricky surface. He said the new ball phase in The Hundred often proves the toughest for batters and added that assessing conditions carefully helped him build his innings after early dismissals in previous games.
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Smith’s Fifty Sets Up Modest Total
Earlier in the evening, Southern Brave posted 129 for 9 from their 100 balls, with Jamie Smith top-scoring at 49 off just 26 deliveries. The home side struggled to find consistent boundaries on a surface that offered little for stroke play throughout the contest. Trent Boult was the pick of the MI London bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 15 to restrict Brave to a below-par total.
It is a sign of further progress for MI London in the rankings, whereas Southern Brave will hope to bounce back before their next match. The teams will go back to play further in the tournament as the fight for the playoffs heats up.
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