Best playing 11 of Men's Hundred 2024 ft. Sam Curran, James Vince
Oval Invincibles beat Southern Brave by 17 runs in the 2024 Men's Hundred final at the iconic Lord's in London on Sunday, August 18. With the triumph, Oval Invincibles won the competition for the second year in a row.
Southern Brave won the toss and elected to field in the final of the Men's Hundred. Akeal Hosein and Tymal Mills claimed three wickets each, while Jofra Archer picked up two scalps as Oval Invincibles were held to 147-9. For the batting side, Will Jacks top-scored with 37, while Sam Curran, Jordan Cox, and Tom Curran chipped in with handy 20s.
In the chase, Southern Brave were held to 130-7 as pacer Saqib Mahmood starred with 3-17, while leggie Adam Zampa picked up 2-26. For the chasing side, Alex Davies top-scored with 35, while James Vince (22), Leus du Plooy (20) and Craig Overton (22*) also chipped in with handy knocks. However, Oval Invincibles' impressive bowling effort ensured victory for them.
With the latest edition of the Men's Hundred coming to an end, we pick the best playing XI of the tournament.
Openers: James Vince (c), Ben Duckett
Southern Brave skipper James Vince was the leading run-getter in the 2024 Men's Hundred. In 10 innings, he smashed 424 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 142.76, with four half-centuries.
The 33-year-old hammered 90* off 47 against Birmingham Phoenix and followed it up with 73* off 50 against Welsh Fire and 52 off 39 against Oval Invincibles in the league stage. Vince also contributed 43 off 35 in the Eliminator against Birmingham Phoenix.
Vince would be partnered by Birmingham Phoenix's Ben Duckett in the combined Men's Hundred 2024 playing XI. The left-handed batter slammed 269 runs in seven innings at an average of 67.25 and a strike rate of 171.33, with two fifties. Duckett contributed 92 off 53 against Southern Brave, 43* off 20 against Northern Superchargers, and 54* off 31 against Welsh Fire.
Middle order & All-rounders: Phil Salt (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, and Chris Jordan
Manchester Originals keeper-batter Phil Salt hammered 228 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.50 and a strike rate of 149.01, with two half-centuries. He contributed 40 off 27 against Northern Superchargers, 34 off 28 against Oval Invincibles, and followed it up with consecutive fifties. The 27-year-old hit 58 off 41 against London Spirit and smacked 61 off 28 against Northern Superchargers.
The hard-hitting Nicholas Pooran clobbered 227 runs in seven innings for Northern Superchargers, averaging 45.40 at an impressive strike rate of 150.33, with three half-centuries. Pooran struck 62 off 34 against Southern Brave, 65* off 41 against Oval Invincibles, and 66* off 36 against Manchester Originals.
Jordan Cox chipped in with crucial contributions for Oval Invincibles in the Men's 2024 Hundred. In seven innings, he totaled 214 runs at an average of 42.80 and a strike rate of 143.62. The 23-year-old scored 46* off 29 against Southern Brave, 61* off 30 against London Spirit, and 39 off 30 against Trent Rockets before contributing 25 off 17 in the 2024 Men's Hundred final against Southern Brave.
Player of the Series Sam Curran was an easy pick in the best XI of Men's Hundred 2024. The all-rounder contributed 201 runs in six innings at an average of 40.20 and a strike rate of 164.75, with two fifties. Curran slammed 51* off 22 against London Spirit and followed it up with 68 off 38 against Manchester Originals.
With his left-arm pace bowling, the 26-year-old picked up 17 wickets at an average of 10.52 and an economy rate of 7.40. He followed up his 51 against the London Spirit with brilliant figures of 5-16. Curran also claimed 3-10 as London Spirit were bowled out for 96 in a league game at The Oval.
Pace bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan performed an impressive job for Southern Brave in the Men's 2024 Hundred, claiming 15 wickets in 10 innings at an average of 16 and an economy rate of 8. The right-arm pacer picked up 3-19 against Birmingham Phoenix and 3-22 against Trent Rockets. He also played a couple of handy cameos, hammering 20* off nine against Birmingham Phoenix.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Tim Southee, Adam Zampa, and Tymal Mills
Seasoned Trent Rockets leg-spinner Rashid Khan picked up nine wickets in five innings at an average of 16 and an economy rate of 8.64. Rashid's best of 4-24 came against London Spirit. He also chipped in with two-fers against Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Originals.
The Men's Hundred 2024 best playing XI features two leg-spinners as Oval Invincibles' Adam Zampa also makes the list. The experienced Aussie bowler finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition, claiming 19 scalps in nine innings at an average of 11.57 and an economy rate of 7.33. His best of 4-17 came against London Spirit, while Zampa also claimed 2-26 in the final.
Tymal Mills and Tim Southee would be the lead pacers in the combined Men's Hundred 2024 XI. Like Zampa, Southern Brave left-arm pacer Mills also picked up 19 wickets in 10 innings at an average of 15.10 and an economy rate of 9.30. His best of 4-16 came against Welsh Fire. Mills also picked up three scalps each in the Eliminator and the final.
Representing Birmingham Phoenix, Southee picked up 14 wickets in nine innings in the Men's 2024 Hundred, averaging 13.78 at an economy rate of 6.81. He shone with 5-12 against Trent Rockets and also claimed 3-15 in a match against Northern Superchargers in Birmingham.