Trent Rockets top Hundred table after commanding win over London Spirit
- Planet Sport writer
- 20 August 2022
Trent Rockets spinners Rashid Khan and Samit Patel and seamer Luke Wood launched their side to the top of The Hundred table with a six-wicket home win against London Spirit on Saturday night.
Khan, on his return from international duty, clean bowled three victims for the cost of 25 runs while Patel took the prize wickets of Eoin Morgan and Ben McDermott as they both threatened big scores.
Wood also impressed with economical figures of two for 23 as the Rockets bowled Spirit out for 122.
In reply, Colin Munro's 67 not out from 37 balls and a confidence-boosting 41 off 28 from Tom Kohler-Cadmore were enough to take the Rockets home with 21 deliveries to spare.
The result gives the Spirit their first loss of the tournament and puts the Rockets in prime position to finish in top spot.
Put into bat, London got off to a flying start as Daniel Bell-Drummond caught the eye early on with consecutive sixes.
The Spirit did lose the in-form Adam Rossington cheaply, but at 41 for one from the powerplay, they would have been the happier side.
The next 25 balls would only produce 20 runs for the loss of two wickets, as the Rockets' bowling attack fought back.
Bell-Drummond was the first to go, miscuing off the bowling of Sam Cook fir 24, and Dan Lawrence was clean bowled by a Khan googly.
The away side needed to rebuild quickly if they were to post a defendable total.
Morgan answered the call, striking two sixes in Khan's next set, but when he attempted the same trick on the 64th ball against Patel, the former England captain was caught at deep midwicket for 27 to leave the Spirit 86 for four.
Sensing the moment to turn the screw, skipper Lewis Gregory threw Khan the ball and he delivered.
The Afghan bowled Kieron Pollard and Jordan Thompson in a set of five which conceded just two runs.
Three balls later, Patel removed the set McDermott for 30 as the Londoners lost their last five wickets for just 25 runs.
Spirit fought back by removing Trent's in-form openers early.
The first was by luck rather than design. Dawid Malan was run out from the inning's first ball, with his partner Alex Hales looking sheepish as his teammate trudged off without facing.
Hales was back to apologise sooner than the Rockets would have liked, caught at mid-on for six off the bowling of Nathan Ellis, as they ended the powerplay 33 for two.
Hales' wicket brought Kohler-Cadmore to the crease. Bought at the auction for £125,000, the Yorkshire player was in need of a big score to match his top bracket price.
And he proved his value as the partnership with Munro brought 85 off 51 balls, before Gregory smashed a six to end the game and put his team top of the table.
