London, September 1 (H.S.) : In a remarkable feat, Oval Invincibles secured their third straight ‘The Hundred’ championship trophy. In the nail-biting final held on Sunday night, they defeated Trent Rockets by 26 runs to register a historic victory. The heroes of the match were Will Jacks, who scored a blistering 72 runs, and Nathan Sowter, who delivered a decisive bowling performance with figures of 3 for 25.

Batting first, Invincibles posted a competitive total of 168 for 5. Will Jacks smashed 72 runs off 41 balls, including 7 fours and 4 sixes, while Jordan Cox contributed a valuable 40 runs. The duo forged a crucial partnership of 87 runs. However, in the latter overs, Rockets bowlers staged a brilliant comeback, restricting the Invincibles to just 25 runs and preventing a bigger total.

Chasing the target, Rockets started off slowly, scoring 32 runs in the powerplay. But Nathan Sowter wreaked havoc in the middle overs. After dismissing Joe Root for 10, he sent back Rehan Ahmed and Tom Banton too, leaving Rockets struggling at 37 for 3.

David Willey and Marcus Stoinis tried to steady the innings. Stoinis played a stellar knock of 64 runs off 38 balls and fought till the end. Ross Whiteley supported him well as they added a partnership of 38 runs, but the mounting run rate pressure proved too much. Needing 33 runs in the final over proved beyond reach as the Rockets managed only 142 for 8.

Brief Scorecard:

Oval Invincibles: 168/5 (Will Jacks 72, Jordan Cox 40; Matt Carter 2/24)

Trent Rockets: 142/8 (Marcus Stoinis 64; Nathan Sowter 3/25, Saqib Mahmood 2/22)

Result: Oval Invincibles won by 26 runs.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar