Jofra Archer’s figures of 4 for 9 helped Southern Brave bowl out London Spirit for 105, with the host side losing their last five wickets for only two runs, as Brave secured a five-wicket triumph at Lord’s to keep their season alive.
Jonny Bairstow’s struggling 56 was the only notable innings for Spirit, as Marcus Stoinis continued his great tournament with the ball, ending with 3 for 17 to bring his tally to nine in four matches and put him at the top of the wicket-taking standings.
Spirit, inserted by Chris Jordan, reached 52 for 2 at the midway mark, with Bairstow battling for fluency on a challenging pitch for a run-a-ball 25. Adil Rashid caught Liam Livingstone at deep cover to surpass Tymal Mills as the leading wicket-taker in the Hundred men’s competition history, finishing with figures of 2 for 17.
Bairstow scored his half-century in 40 balls but was then part of a dramatic Spirit collapse, with Archer and Stoinis both scoring two-for-two to finish the innings with eight balls remaining unused.
With only 106 points required for victory, Brave were the clear favourites, but the chase was not easy. Ben McKinney and Nikhil Chaudhary were both dismissed early by David Willey, with the former going for a duck on the opening ball. Despite the loss of wickets, Jamie Smith controlled the early exchanges, reaching 36 and hitting a maximum before falling lbw to James Coles.
Adam Zampa was frugal in the middle and dismissed Moeen Ali, who had stepped into the Brave lineup to replace the injured Thomas Rew, before Stoinis was run out at the non-striker’s end, leaving the score at 60 for 5 with 46 runs needed from 48.
The South African duo of David Miller and Tristan Stubbs came together and methodically chipped away at the remaining runs, with Miller clearing the ropes to finish 39 not out as Brave cruised home with three balls remaining.
It was an important win for Brave, who are still in contention for a position in the Eliminator, but Spirit will need to go a long way right now to advance to the knockout rounds.
Archer, the Meerkat Match Hero, stated, “I’m thrilled that we won today. This is the first time I’ve taken more than two wickets in the event. Everyone has been bowling well. We haven’t taken many wickets, but we’ve clearly kept the runs down.”
When chasing a tiny total, he continued, “You always think that it’s going to be an easy game, but we seem to always make it hard for ourselves.”
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