When both these sides met at the same venue, the home side Northern Superchargers became the first team to reach the magic 200 mark. Manchester Originals went even better today, smashing 208 for five from their allotted hundred balls at Headingley before limiting Superchargers to 185 for seven to win by 23 runs.
Sustained hitting from Phil Salt (55), Laurie Evans (45), Tristan Stubbs (46) and a cameo of 26 from 12 balls from Paul Walter ensured the team from the west of the Pennines racked up the biggest total in The Hundred’s short history.
The former Sussex pair of Phil Salt and Laurie Evans got the Originals off to the perfect start adding 102 runs for the first wicket from just 42 balls. However, another former Sussex teammate David Wiese had the ignominy of returning the most expensive 20 balls by a bowler. Wiese finished with one for 53, Salt his only wicket, and that was just as much to do with the athletic fielding of Harry Brook.
Salt cleared the ropes five times in his innings and was out shortly after Evans, who also found the safe hands of Brook, this time off the bowling of Dwayne Bravo. The momentum might have shifted the home side’s way, but Tristan Stubbs ensured the runs kept coming before being caught behind by John Simpson for a blistering 46 from 23 balls that included five sixes.
At one stage, it looked as if 220 or more had been possible and sights were set on above 200, which the Originals achieved. It was a remarkable effort with Jos Buttler sidelined through injury.
With such a big total to chase, there was only one way that the Superchargers could go: to match the pace from the start.
Not losing wickets was going to be the key for Superchargers; runs from the top order were the top demand, but Faf du Plessis was caught by wicketkeeper Salt, and the review vindicated the umpire’s call.
Adam Lyth kept up the run rate and raced to 46 from 24 balls, but he could not clear mid-off and was on his way.
Josh Little, the Irish international, who took the vital wicket of du Plessis, also accounted for David Willey for 17 as the batter dragged on. From his first ten balls, the bowler has returned remarkable figures of two for three in what would turn out to be a high-scoring contest.
Adam Hose is well known for his brutal hitting in the Blast and was the top scorer for Superchargers with 59 from 26 balls before finding the deep mid-wicket fielder. But, unfortunately, despite Wiese’s charge of 26, it was all a bit too late for Superchargers who needed 33 runs to win from the last five balls of the game, which they failed to pull off.
