Billings finishes it in style! What an innings from Sam Billings, the skipper clearing midwicket on the charge to take his Oval Invincibles through to an automatic spot in Sunday's men's final! He came in at 21 for 3 and sees them home with 5 wickets and 8 balls to spare!
Rockets vs Invincibles, 29th Match at London, Men's Hundred, Aug 21 2023 - Ball by Ball Commentary
Invincibles won by 5 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
9:16pm: That's all from us tonight. Catch you all tomorrow!
9:10pm Trent Rockets - 7 points - remain third and now have to hope Welsh Fire lose to Northern Superchargers tomorrow and Southern Brave lose to Manchester Originals on Thursday. If either of them win, Rockets are done.
9:05pm: Your match hero is, of course, Sam Billings.
Simon Doull asks Billings when was the last time he hit the ball that well: "Quite a while mate!
"It was nice to see some work behind the scenes to actually come off. It's always there (form). It doesn't feel like that sometimes. I tried too hard, tried to put a bit too much pressure on myself."
Turn off the pitch from a decent length, Curran cuts hard on the top of off stump but straight to the deep cover fielder
5 needed off 10...and finally, Ish Sodhi comes into the attack
Slower ball, scuffed under edge through to the keeper. But that, surely is all she wrote for this one...
Vishal Poojary: "Ish Sodhi should have had a go at Tom Curran." Really not sure why he hasn't gone to him. Too late, we fear
Short, pulled hard but brilliant saved by Sam Cook this time as Curran races back for that second run.
Pulled hard across to square leg, Luke Wood skids out in the deep and manages to save two
Billings taking this home! Wide and full, slapped gorgeously through extra cover, to the left of the boundary rider at long on
Short, into the right-hander, helped around the corner to backward square leg
14 needed from 15... Gregory still not going to Ish Sodhi. Sams with his final set
Outside off, fast hands to work length to midwicket once more
Fuller, into the pads, whopped around the corner for a single
Gregory goes a little sharper with a bumper that has Curran on the floor as he fails an attempt to carve over the keeper
Back to back! Similar length, straighter and Curran stands tall and larrups that through midwicket for another four
What a shot from Curran! Length delivery sits up outside off and Curran goes to drive and cracks his wrists into the shot to life over cover!
Lewis Gregory taking matters into his own hands as he takes the ball for his 3rd set
Length, nip into Billings who defends back down the pitch off the back foot
Slower, length, guided to point who has to dive allowing the batters to cross over
Yorker length, outside off, dug out down the ground for a single
Top of off from Cook, Billings opens the face but point is quickly on that one
Short, wide, rearing up off a length and cut to deep cover
Sam Cook with his third 5
Pace off, wider and Billings is flummoxed, gasping as he misses that cross-bat into the offside
What a strike! Slower ball on leg stump, Billings pauses his swing and flicks high over the fielder at wide long on. Even Billings was surprised by how well he's hit that!
Gloved down the leg side as Sams tries to follow Billings, gets two down to fine leg
Short and powerfully slapped to square leg! And that's the captain's fifty, his second of the men's Hundred after getting his first last season. Outstanding batting from the skipper, getting there off 27 balls
Slower ball, Billings tries to run down to third and almost plays onto his off stump
Sams back into the attack