SOUTHAMPTON: A combined bowling effort from Will Jacks led MI London to a commanding three-wicket win in the ninth match of The Hundred Men’s at The Rose Bowl here on Monday.
MI London skipper Sam Curran’s decision to field first paid dividends as Richard Gleeson, Trent Boult and Tom Curran claimed two wickets each.
Right-handed opener Jamie Smith top-scored for the Braves with a 26-ball 49 with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He shared a 46-run partnership for the third wicket with Tristan Stubbs, who scored 38 runs off 31 balls with 3 fours and a six.
Apart from them, batting all-rounder Nikhil Choudhary was the only one to score double figures against a decent MI London bowling attack, scoring 13 runs off nine balls and hitting two fours.
In reply, MI chased down a target of 130 runs off the final ball of the London innings and lost seven wickets in the process.
Jacks, the right-handed opener who led the way for the visitors, laid a solid foundation for a successful run chase with 54 off 41 balls with three fours and two sixes, which eventually earned him the man of the match award.
The Jags’ efforts were supported by captain Curran (30) and middle-order Sherbane Rutherford (21), who put on a crucial 22-run fifth-wicket partnership that kept MI London within touching distance of the target.
Marcus Stoinis was the standout bowler for the Braves, taking 3 for 17 off 20 balls, while Adil Rashid and Chaudhary picked up a wicket each.
This three-wicket victory over second-placed MI London confirmed their third place in The Hundred Men’s Championship table as they now have eight points from three matches, behind leaders Manchester Supergiants and Welsh Fire due to their relatively low net run rate.
Instead, the game’s outcome extended the Southern Braves’ losing streak to three games.