*THE HUNDRED MENS COMPETITION- LONDON SPIRITS VS OVAL INVINCIBLES 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
London Spirits, a side whose campaign has been deeply impacted by rains find themselves at number 6 position with 4 points. After their close win against the Rockets (by a mere 2runs), the momentum is on their side and against possibly the best side of the tournament, they would aim at getting the better of them. The captain leading from the front was probably the highlight of last game where Daniel Lawrence blasted away to glory with a 49 ball 93 that comprised of 3 sixes and 10 fours. When the leader of the side top scores in a game where the second highest score was 30, it speaks a lot about his mentality and how he carried that side. Daniel would be keen upon upping his game to lead London to another win.
The Invincibles, however, are arguably the toughest unit this time. They have found the correct answers to whatever questions have been thrown at them, managing to get past it with so much ease. A loss last game may have hurt in an otherwise classy and impactful tournament so far where wins have come with alot of conviction. Led by Billings, who has been in and out of the white ball setup, we can see the side grooming and tagging along nicely.
*OVAL INVINCIBLES PROBABLE XI:*
Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, Heinrich Klaasen, Sam Curran, Sam Billings (c & wk), Ross Whiteley, Sunil Narine, Zak Chappell, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Sowter
Sam Curran and Spencer will have a task at hand. They need to strike in the powerplay and send the powerful top order of the Spirits packing back to the pavillion. The way Spencer started was nothing short of a miracle and despite a quiet game last time, the tall lad will be looking to make the most of the conditions. The role of Narine and how he’s handled by wicket keeper Billings will be interesting again. He had a quiet outing even last time but the character and experience around the leagues, that he presents to the table, is stependous. On his day, he can spin an unbreakable web and tangle the Spirits.
The scores that the top 6 of Oval recorded vs Birmingham were 17,2,5,0,11 and 14. These are, at best, worrying numbers. It was a collective poor outing for their batting but their quality with the bat in hand and their good going the rest of the tourney should speak well in their favour. Barring the collective disaster that happened last game, the invincibles have been rather convincing with their plans and would look to carry them forward with Billings at the helm of things.
*LONDON SPIRITS PROBABLE XI:*
Daniel Lawrence (c), Adam Rossington (wk), Zak Crawley, Matthew Wade, Daryl Mitchell, Ravi Bopara, Matthew Critchley, Chris Wood, Liam Dawson, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Worrall
Crawley after opening the innings last time around got London off to a flyer. With a strike rate of exactly 200, the English opener did not waste any time in setting the tune of the innings. This is exactly why he is in the side- for his proactive batting and I won’t be surprised if he decides to send across a warning to even the best side in the tournament.
The likes of Bopara and Mitchell in the middle order are very strong allround players who have been around in this format for long and know the requirements of it. Here at Spirits, they have been asked to play the role of finishers who produce impactful cameos and all eyes will be fixed on them and how they approach their game.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR SPIRITS:*
Highest run getter- Zak Crawley/Daniel Lawrence
Highest wicket taker- Nathan Ellis/Daniel Worrall
*FOR INVINCIBLES:*
Highest run getter- Will Jacks/Heinrich Klaasen
Highest wicket taker- Spencer/Sunil Narine
*FOR THIS GAME:*
The Invincibles to win