In the thrilling conclusion of the fourth edition of The Hundred, both the Men’s and Women’s finals were contested on the same day at Lord’s, providing a spectacular finish to the tournament.
Men’s Final: Oval Invincibles Retain Their Title
In the Men’s final, the Oval Invincibles (149-7) successfully defended their title, securing a 17-run victory over Southern Brave (130-7). The Brave opted to bowl first, and despite a challenging opening five balls from Craig Overton, Will Jacks came alive, launching Jofra Archer’s first delivery over the boundary for six. Jacks continued his aggressive play, hitting another six off Overton before his innings was ended by Tymal Mills.
The Invincibles' momentum was maintained by tournament MVP Sam Curran and Jordan Cox, who added a vital 46 runs between them, pushing the Invincibles to 93-3. Despite a brief collapse where they lost 4 wickets for just 9 runs in 10 balls, the Invincibles' innings was rescued by Sam’s elder brother, Tom Curran, who added a crucial 24 runs off 11 balls.
In response, Southern Brave started their chase strongly, reaching 58-0, but their innings quickly unraveled, collapsing to 102-7. Saqib Mahmood was instrumental in this downfall, taking three key wickets, including Leus du Plooy, Laurie Evans, and Kieron Pollard. Will Jacks capped off the Invincibles’ impressive bowling performance by dismissing tournament top-scorer James Vince, sealing the victory. Mahmood's performance will likely earn him attention for England’s upcoming series against Australia in mid-September.
Women’s Final: London Spirit Claim Their First Title
In the Women’s final, London Spirit captured their first Hundred title with a dramatic four-wicket victory over Welsh Fire, who chased down 116 runs with just two balls to spare. The match reached a climax when Deepti Sharma lofted a six off Hayley Matthews’ bowling to secure the win. Welsh Fire, having lost the toss, posted 115-8, with Jess Jonassen scoring her first half-century of the tournament. Despite Jonassen's efforts, the Fire struggled against an exceptional bowling display from England spinners Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean. Glenn struck twice in three balls, while Dean conceded just one run in her first 10 balls.
London Spirit’s chase got off to a rocky start when opener Lanning was bowled for just 2 by an inswinger from Shabnim Ismail. However, captain Heather Knight and Georgia Redmayne steadied the innings with a 31-run partnership. Ismail continued to pose a threat, taking out Lanning, Knight, and Grace Gibson, leaving Spirit at 71-4.
The match went down to the wire, with Sharma and Dean running tight singles before Sharma's decisive six clinched the title for Spirit. The victory, achieved in front of the largest-ever attendance for a women’s cricket match at Lord’s, was particularly special for Knight, who compared it to her triumph with England in the Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017.