Curran-Cox onslaught sees Invincibles home

A remarkable 10-ball hitting barrage from Sam Curran and Jordan Cox turned the game on its head and drove Oval Invincibles towards a crucial win against table-topping rivals Trent Rockets in The Hundred.

Chasing 171 to win, the Invincibles were just beginning to feel the pressure at 70 for 2 with 102 needed for victory from just 40 balls - ten legal balls, one strategic timeout and six sixes later they'd sailed to 121 for 1, with just 51 more required from the last 30.

It was a scarcely believable spell of sustained hitting, from Curran in the main, that thrilled the Kia Oval crowd and more or less broke the back of a chase that leaves the home side sitting pretty at the top of the table with two games to go.

Cox would end unbeaten on 58, to maintain his fantastic form, and for Curran it was 54 and the acclaim of his home crowd.

Before the Curran and Cox show it was another England man who looked set to define the day, Joe Root showing all his usual brilliance to compile a 41-ball 76 in Rockets' imposing total.

Only Root made timing look easy, up to the point the game swung back to the hosts, although South African George Linde did give the fans some crowd-catching practice to preview the later entertainment with an eight-ball 25.

It was a vital win for Invincibles in their pursuit of the crucial first place, a finish that would secure passage straight through to the final as they look to win their third title on the bounce.

Meerkat Match Hero Sam Curran said: "When the strategic timeout happened, I was on seven off 12 or something like that, so the panic was in! I think the break came at the right time just to have a little sip of water and kind of restart again.

"But it was a huge game and a huge win. We looked at the table before this game, and with two sides on 16 points we're really pleased to get the points tonight.

"I think it was 107 off 40 balls, and we knew in T20 or 100-ball cricket, you're looking at hitting three or four sixes, and then before you know it we got six, seven, eight, and you're like, 'Wow, we're nearly at 70 off 35 balls'.

"It's such a lovely place to bat and the crowd felt electric. It was almost like a game in India where every ball is cheered, it was like - how cool is this?

"The schedule's been pretty intense and that does help when you're winning. You keep that momentum and you keep coming to the game, turning up to the stadium, full crowd, really high in confidence - but it can go the other way as well. We know we want to come top, but we've got two more games left, one away, one at home - and I think it is a big advantage, if you do come top."