Top 5 bowling performances of Men's Hundred 2024 ft. Sam Curran
The Men's Hundred 2024 final witnessed Oval Invincibles secure a 17-run victory over Southern Brave at Lord's in London on Sunday, August 18. The Sam Billings-led side became the first team to defend the title since the tournament's inception in 2021.
Invited to bat first, the Invincibles got off to a decent start with Will Jacks (37) and 20-plus contributions from Sam Curran and Jordan Cox. Tom Curran (24) and Tom Lammonby (16) then gave the team a fine flourish to help them post 147. Akeal Hosein and Tymal Mills scalped three wickets each for the Brave.
In response, the Brave's top order put up a solid effort, led by Alex Davies (35). However, Saqib Mahmood inflicted a triple strike to put them under incessant pressure. Although Craig Overton (22*) tried well, the Brave could manage only 130.
Throughout the fourth edition of the competition, there were notable performances from the experienced as well as the younger players. Adam Zampa finished as the top bowler with 19 scalps in nine appearances. On that note, Let's take a look at the best efforts by them in a tough format like The Hundred.
#5 Sean Abbott - 4/16
Birmingham Phoenix's Sean Abbott returned with impressive figures of 4/16 against Welsh Fire in Cardiff on August 10. Batting first, the Fire lost Luke Wells (14) early. Abbott then cramped the experienced batters Joe Clarke and skipper Tom Abell with a short-pitched delivery to get them caught in the circle.
Thereafter, Tom Kohler-Cadmore boosted the Fire's innings with an impactful half-century. Nevertheless, Abbott ensured they didn't get a strong finish and dismissed Kohler-Cadmore again with a short-pitched delivery near the square leg fence. The right-arm pacer also sent David Payne to the hut, as Fire finished at 146/8.
In response, captain Moeen Ali (60) and Ben Duckett (54*) were supreme to lead Phoenix's successful chase in 93 balls.
#4 Tymal Mills - 4/16
Tymal Mills made a strong impression for the Souther Brave against the Welsh Fire in Cardiff on August 5. The Brave batted first and posted a modest 139-run total, with James Vince scoring an unbeaten 73 off 50.
In response, Fire were off to a decent start with Jonny Bairstow, but Mills got hold of a terrific catch at short fine leg to dismiss him. The left-arm pacer then breached Luke Wells' defense to pile on the misery on Fire.
Mills came in the latter end of the game to secure breakthroughs of Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Willey, and Haris Rauf to return with figures of 4/16. As a result, the Brave secured a 42-run victory. Moreover, Mills finished second in the wickets tally with 19 in 10 appearances.
#3 Sean Abbott - 4/14
The Australian seamer makes a second appearance in the list due to his other impact performance against London Spirit last month in Lord's. After Tim Southee opened the Spirit's floodgates, Sean Abbott continued the team's dominance. He made Michael Pepper and Adam Rossington caught in the circle and near the backward square leg boundary, respectively.
Thereafter, Abbott went past through the defense of Dan Lawrence and forced Ryan Higgins to play an uppish shot to get caught at point region. In this way, Abbott reduced the opposition to 30/5 and registered figures of 4/14. As a result, Spirit could only score 127/7.
In response, Jacob Bethell (43) and Dan Mousley (39) were the key contributors as the Phoenix chased the score in 99 balls.
#2 Sam Curran - 5/16
The talented Oval Invincibles all-rounder Sam Curran was at his best against London Spirit in Lord's on August 4. After a mediocre start from the top order, Curran was sensational with his unbeaten 51-run knock off 22 balls to push the team's score to 147/5.
Then, after going wicket-less in his first 10 balls, Curran started to make an impact by dismissing Matt Critchley and Liam Dawson, which hurt the Spirit's chances of chasing down the score.
He also dismissed Andre Russell and other tail-enders to register a hattrick and terrific figures of 5/16, which resulted in the Invincibles winning by 30 runs.
#1 Tim Southee - 5/12
The Birmingham Phoenix pacer, Tim Southee holds the best figures of 5/12 in the Men's Hundred 2024. He achieved the feat on August 12 against Trent Rockets and helped his team to a six-wicket victory.
Southee secured his first wicket in the third ball of the game by trapping Tom Banton LBW. He then got a fine purchase from the surface to get an awkward bounce to dismiss experienced Joe Root. The right-arm pacer went on to dismiss Tom Alsop, Lewis Gregory, and Sam Cook to bundle out the opposition for 118.
Thereafter, the Phoenix chased down the score in 93 balls, courtesy of Jacob Bethell (38*).