- Oval Invincibles defeated Welsh Fire in the men’s 100 final on Sunday
- Meanwhile, London Spirit defeated Welsh Fire to win the women’s final
- Saqib Mahmood shone with ball in hand to help the Invincibles secure victory
Oval Invincibles retained their Hundred title after Saqib Mahmood’s stunning performance left Southern Brave in disarray at Lord’s.
In front of a near sell-out crowd of almost 29,000, Mahmood, who had been sidelined by the Invincibles earlier in the competition, took the big wickets of Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans in seven balls, costing him just one run.
The Invincibles quickly celebrated a 17-run victory in what could be the tournament’s final season before the teams are sold to private investors as the ECB looks to secure the game’s financial future.
For Mahmood, who missed last year’s Hundred with a stress fracture in his back, it was a reminder of the class that has earned him 22 appearances in the English tournament across the three formats – most recently in a one-day series in Bangladesh in March 2023.
The Braves, who may still be pinching themselves after Saturday’s win over Birmingham Phoenix at The Oval, had reached 58 runs without loss from 42 balls before collapsing.
Oval Invincibles and London Spirit were crowned Men’s and Women’s Hundred Champions
The Invincibles would secure their second consecutive title after defeating Southern Brave
Spirit secured their first women’s title by beating Welsh Fire by four wickets as they chased a target of 116
A collapse of seven for 44 included captain James Vince – the tournament’s top scorer – being bowled by Will Jacks for 24.
Jacks had given the Invincibles a quick start with the bat, with 37 runs from 22 balls, while Tom Curran provided impetus later in the day with 24 runs from 11, including a remarkable six over extra cover from Jofra Archer.
Earlier, London Spirit won their first women’s title by beating Welsh Fire by four wickets, setting a target of 116.
Australia’s Georgia Redmayne was player of the match with her 34 runs from 32 balls, while England captain Heather Knight made 24 from 18 and Danielle Gibson hit five fours from nine balls as the Spirit closed in.
Mahmood – sidelined by the Invincibles earlier in the competition – took the big wickets of Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans in seven balls at the cost of just one run
Georgia Redmayne (pictured) was player of the match with her 32-ball 34, while England captain Heather Knight made 24 off 18.
Indian all-rounder Deepti Shah’s six over long-on decided matters with two balls to go
The match was watched by 22,009 people, a record for a women’s match in the Hundred.
