London Spirit claimed their second win of The Hundred with a 21-run victory
over Trent Rockets.
England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith scored a half-century for the hosts at Lord’s as they reached a total of 162-5 and Joe Root’s Rockets, who had won their opening two matches, were unable to keep pace in reply.
Smith was eventually caught by his England team-mate Root off the bowling of Sam Cook for 52 but captain Kane Williamson maintained the pace with 45, while Ollie Pope and Ashton Turner also contributed valuable runs.
Openers Tom Banton and Root got London Spirit off to a strong start in their reply, putting on 73 for the first wicket, but Marcus Stoinis, who smashed four sixes, was the only other batter to make an impression.
There was a painful end to his innings after only three balls, meanwhile, for Tom Alsop, who left the field with blood streaming from his nose after a bouncer from Jamie Overton found a way through.
Former Australia batter David Warner, making his debut in The Hundred this year, was caught by Marcus Stoinis off a ball from Lockie Ferguson after just six runs.
The Rockets though ultimately came up well short, finishing their innings on 141 for six.
Smith said: “It’s been difficult at times at home for us, so to come out here and get a win here in front of a fantastic crowd is really important and steps us on for the next few games we’ve got coming up here.
Liam Dawson of London Spirit celebrates victory with team mate Kane Williamson
“Our seamers took the pace off, and we used the ground dimensions really nicely, and most importantly we kept taking wickets, which stemmed the flow for them.
“It’s nice to get some runs, especially on a new ground and playing for a new team. It’s good to start well, and we’ve got a quality team. I just need to keep building the relationships with the guys at the top of the order, David Warner and Kane Williamson, and the players we’ve got throughout.”
Spirit join the Rockets on eight points in the standings, in a five-way tie also including the Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave and Northern Superchargers.
How do matches work?
One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
What’s next?
The Hundred continues on Friday with Northern Superchargers back in action on Friday against Birmingham Phoenix, with Brave playing Rockets and Fire up against Oval Invincibles on Saturday.
London Spirit are next in action against Birmingham Phoenix on Sunday.
Watch every match across the women’s and men’s competitions live on Sky Sports until August 31. Not got Sky? Stream The Hundred and more with no contract.
