Manchester Originals, led by Laurie Evans’ 34-ball 72, extended their winning record to six games and advanced to the final of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2022 by defeating London Spirit by five wickets on Friday at The Rose Bowl.
After deciding to bat, Spirit suffered a setback when Josh Little, who was in good form, dismissed Adam Rossington for a second-ball duck. But Zak Crawley and Ben McDermott made sure the team got off to a good start. Before Crawley was bowled out by Paul Walter, the pair quickly attacked Tom Hartley, Richard Gleeson, and Little to race to a 69-run partnership for the second wicket in just 43 balls.
Originals managed the action in the middle overs by limiting scores while also routinely taking wickets. Dan Lawrence struggled to get going, scoring just 10 runs off of 13 balls, while skipper Eoin Morgan was removed for a first-ball duck just one ball after Walter ended McDermott’s innings (which lasted 38 balls).
Though there were several wickets lost in the latter stages, Ravi Bopara’s cameo of 16 balls and 34 runs, which featured two boundaries and as many sixes, allowing Spirit’s tally to soar to 150.
Originals made little effort to track down the total. A 101-run stand by the starting pitchers effectively ended the game. The team’s innings’ 29th ball saw the captain reach his half-century after early attacks on Chris Wood and Liam Dawson. Philip Salt, who didn’t get many strikes but made sure the momentum was maintained with his 18-ball 29, provided him with strong support.
