Oval Invincibles Thrash Spirit in the Hundred Opener

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Oval Cricket Ground preparing for rain
Shutterstock.com, Ritu Manoj Jethani

With England’s incredible Test series with India now consigned to the history books, the thoughts of many cricket fans will turn to the Ashes series in Australia. That starts at the end of November and will represent a huge challenge for Ben Stokes and his team.

There is, of course, a lot of cricket to be played before then, though. The 2025 edition of The Hundred will be grabbing a lot of attention this August, and that competition got underway on Tuesday, the 5th of August. It was a London derby to kick the tournament off, as London Spirit welcomed Oval Invincibles to Lord’s.

Easy Win for Oval Men


The home side won the toss and elected to bat, and fans would have been eager to see their top three in action. They signed controversial Aussie David Warner, and he and former England man Keaton Jennings opened the batting. With skipper and Kiwi great Kane Williamson in at three, Spirit will feel they should be making strong starts during this campaign.

However, that was resolutely not the case in the tournament’s opening fixture. Jordan Clark dismissed both openers, whilst in between, experienced Aussie quick Jason Behrendorff accounted for his antipodean cousin Williamson. That left the hosts struggling at 26/3 off 31 balls, and they never recovered.

The Invincibles bowled superbly as a unit but Sam Curran and brilliant Afghan spinner Rashid Khan were especially good. Each took three wickets and were hard to score off, the former conceding just 18 runs and the latter a mere 11 (from 19 and 20 balls respectively).

The duo helped their side bowl their London rivals out for just 80 runs from 94 balls. Only one men’s side had ever been dismissed for fewer runs and it was a woeful performance from Spirit. It wasn’t an easy surface on which to bat and Curran, Rashid and the other five bowlers the Invincibles’ skipper Sam Billings deployed all bowled well, but it was clearly well short of being competitive.

Only three players made double figures, with Ashton Turner top scoring with just 21. The away side knew they did not need to take any chances in their reply and an opening stand of 34 from 31 balls was just the sort of solid start they needed. When Tawanda Muyeye was dismissed off the 32nd ball of the innings, there might have been the faintest glimmer of sparking a collapse, but the Invincibles continued to build the small partnerships they needed to take them to their meagre target with plenty of room to spare.

Will Jacks was the game’s highest scorer with just 24, but Sam Curran’s 14 off nine balls, the skipper’s six from three balls and nine off five balls from Donovan Ferreira meant the visitors reached 81/4. They won with 31 balls to spare, and if this game is anything to go by, this season may well play out much like the last.

How Did the Sides Fare Last Year?


This comprehensive win for the Oval side was hardly a surprise given how the two teams did last year. The Invincibles topped the league phase, winning six of their eight games. They went on to be crowned champions, beating Southern Brave in the final.

In stark contrast, Spirit were as abysmal in 2024 as they were in this opening game of the 2025 tournament. They finished rock bottom, losing seven of their eight matches. The first London derby in 2024 occurred in Match 15 of the competition and chasing this time, Spirit were again dismissed for a dreadful total. Set 148 to win, they were all out for 117 from 95 balls.

As local rivals, they then met again in Match 26, and this clash was even more like 2025’s curtain raiser. Spirit were put in to bat and managed just 96 (92 balls), with their rivals hammering 100/1 from just 63 balls for another somewhat embarrassing defeat. The two teams are set to meet once again this term on the 25th of August (Match 29) at The Oval, and don’t bet on Spirit making it to triple figures in that one!

What Next for the Two Teams?

Oval Invincibles & London Spirit logosThe Invincibles will be hoping to defend their crown this season, and this first match has made it clear that their bowling attack remains as potent as ever. They have a nice blend of pace, spin and variety, plus strength in depth. If Jacks has a good season with the bat and Jordan Cox does likewise, they should have every chance of another fine campaign.

They are on home soil next and could hardly have asked for an easier start to the 2025 season. On the 9th of August, they will welcome Manchester Originals to the Oval. The Old Trafford-based side only finished above Spirit on net run rate last term, also losing seven out of eight, and so we could see another big win for the defending champions.

As for Spirit, Williamson and co play on the 9th of August. They will travel to Cardiff to play Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens. The competition’s only non-English team finished sixth last term, with just two wins (though they also had two no results). They were, however, the only side that London Spirit managed to better in 2024, so that will at least give the Lord’s team some hope.

How Did the Women’s Game Play Out?

Grace Harris
Grace Harris (Wikipedia.org, NAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0)

It was, of course, a double-header at Lord’s, with the women starting the competition, and at least the home crowd had something to cheer there. Spirit’s women were put in to bat and racked up a handy 176/5, with a brilliant unbeaten 89 from Grace Harris.

The Invincibles were never really up with the rate, and despite 85 (from 51 deliveries) from Aussie star Meg Lanning, they could only make 159/4 from their 100 balls. Last year, Spirit and the Invincibles finished third and second in the table, respectively. Spirit reversed the form by winning the eliminator and then took that momentum into the final, where they beat Welsh Fire in a thriller with just two balls to spare.

Based on the evidence of this first clash, both of London’s women’s teams could well be there or thereabouts once again. We certainly have an exciting month of cricket ahead – just not perhaps if you are a fan of Spirit’s men!

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