Jos Buttler, the skipper of Manchester Originals, put on an entertaining display, smashing five sixes in a quickfire 36-ball 62. However, the match against London Spirit in The Hundred ultimately fell victim to the Manchester weather.
In the game’s only innings, the home side had reached 138 for 5 after 80 balls when the umpires, Graham Lloyd and Steve O’Shaughnessy, took the players off the field for the second time. Unfortunately, they didn’t return, and as a result, the match ended in a no-result outcome, meaning each team secured one point from their first two matches in The Hundred.
The first interruption might have favored Spirit’s bowlers and fielders. By that time, they had conceded five sixes in 35 balls, with three of them coming from the bat of Phil Salt. Salt got a reprieve when Dan Lawrence dropped him off Liam Dawson’s bowling when he was only on 8. Adam Rossington caught Salt eventually after Dan Worrall thin-edged a pull-off on a nine-ball 21.
Spirit reduced the match to a 90-balls per side affair during the break and calculated their target using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. When play resumed, Max Holden and Buttler continued their impressive performance, with the Originals’ skipper smashing three more sixes, two of which came consecutively off the legspinner, Matt Critchley.
Ravi Bopara’s introduction into the attack completed Spirit’s fightback. He skillfully varied his pace and bowled Buttler with a slow yorker and then had Paul Walter caught by Matthew Wade for 2.
Facing the challenge of rebuilding the Originals’ innings after losing four wickets in 16 balls, Ashton Turner and Jamie Overton were at work when rain intervened for the final time. Bopara finished with figures of 2 for 13 from his two sets of five.
Anticipation and Disappointment: The Hundred’s Rollercoaster Day
Buttler expressed his mixed feelings about the day, saying, “It’s nice to get out there, but it’s a shame we couldn’t complete a full game. Personally, it was a good day for me. The guys in the changing room were desperate to get out there and play, but they had to accept the situation and hope it wouldn’t affect the rest of the competition.”
People eagerly anticipate The Hundred, looking forward to coming together for this fun competition in front of an enthusiastic crowd. However, the players and fans felt palpable disappointment as they couldn’t witness two full games today and didn’t get their money’s worth.
Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, the fixture between Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain.
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