The Hundred’s second season will not be remembered as a standout year for the show. But it had an exciting ending, as Lewis Gregory smashed 11 off the final three balls at Lord’s to give Trent Rockets a tense two-wicket victory with two balls to spare, tying them with the Oval Invincibles women’s side as 2022 champions.
The Rockets lost wickets at regular intervals while chasing 121 on a sticky field that made timing shots difficult. Dawid Malan, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was among those who struggled for fluency, falling for 19 off 18 balls, the highest score in his side’s innings.
Rockets appeared to be losing the game as they required 11 runs off Richard Gleeson’s final five deliveries with two wickets in hand.
Skipper Gregory, on the other hand, lashed away a six, deflected a full toss for four, and then smashed the winning single as his team outscored the Originals 120-9 with two balls to spare, ending their opponents’ six-game winning streak.
The Rockets’ triumph was largely due to an outstanding bowling performance, with right-arm seamer Sam Cook (4-18 from 20 balls) and left-arm spinner Samit Patel (3-23 from 15 deliveries) shining after the Originals opted to bat.
Cook used pinpoint yorkers to dismiss Wayne Madsen (3), Tom Lammonby (21) and Gleeson (8), while Patel captured top-scorer Ashton Turner (26 off 13), Paul Walter (0) and Tristan Stubbs (18).
Cook had earlier trapped Originals skipper Laurie Evans (4) lbw from the 10th ball of the contest, Evans failing to back up his 74 from 32 balls against London Spirit on Friday night as his team faltered.
The Rockets struggled to score runs on the slick pitch, with Alex Hales (8 off 8), Colin Munro (16 off 7), Patel (9 off 13), Tom Moores (16 off 15), and Daniel Sams (13 off 8) among those who left the game.
Originals’ confidence grew with each wicket that fell, only for Gregory’s unbeaten 17 off six deliveries to break Evans’ side’s hearts and deny them a miraculous reversal victory.
Originals lost their first three matches in the tournament before rallying despite losing usual skipper Jos Buttler to a calf injury, with Evans presiding over an impressive recovery.
After struggling with the bat, the Originals rebounded superbly with the ball at Lord’s on Saturday night, with Josh Little, Matt Parkinson, Paul Walter, and Tom Hartley each collecting two wickets as a slew of Rockets hitters got in and out.
Gregory, on the other hand, had the final word, as the team that led the group stage standings with six wins from eight stood tall at the Home of Cricket and won the trophy.
