Trent Rockets 145 for 7 beat Manchester Originals 144 for 8 by one run
Jordan Thompson stole the show and the match at Emirates Old Trafford, defending two runs from the final three balls of the game to secure Trent Rockets an improbable victory over Manchester Originals.
Sikandar Raza scored 21 from 12 balls to take Originals to the brink, but when he was run out with one ball to go it left Max Holden (40) requiring two runs for the hosts. Holden could only top-edge his attempted pull to Sam Hain on the leg-side, much to the delight of Thompson and his Rockets teammates.
Tom Banton got Rockets off to a flier at the top of the match, supported by Rovman Powell (27) and a big-hitting cameo from Rashid Khan (15), making his first appearance in the Hundred this year.
Tom Hartley’s 3 for 25 on a slow pitch perhaps suggested it wouldn’t be the easiest chase for the Originals, especially with spin duo Rashid and Imad Wasim in their attack, but when Paul Walter cleared the ropes on three occasions the home fans began to dream about a day of double-header victories.
Three wickets fell to those Rockets spinners in six balls to put doubts in the mind of the Originals faithful, but Raza looked to have allayed those fears until Thompson nipped in to make it two wins from two for Andy Flower’s Trent Rockets.
Meerkat Match Hero Banton said: “The emotions are very up and down! Obviously they played extremely well to get to a very close ending and that’s what The Hundred is about, attracting the crowd. It was a good game.
“My job at the top is to try and put their bowlers under pressure. I want to respect their good balls when they’re there, but when they’re in my scoring zone try and take it to them. And luckily it was my day.
“That’s what we want to do. At the start of the competition we talked about qualifying and obviously two wins from two is a good start.”
