back of the hand again, and full and outside off. Heaved to long-on to finish the day. Invincibles win by 39 runs
Invincibles vs Fire, 5th Match at Cardiff, Men's Hundred, Aug 07 2022 - Ball by Ball Commentary
That's it from us today. Join us tomorrow for our coverage of Spirit vs Originals at Lord's tomorrow and keep an eye out for Vish Ehantharajah's piece from Cardiff. Cheers.
Sam Billings: "Here at Cardiff it's all about using the pitch. It can be two-paced as we saw today and it's made for Sunil Narine. He bowled in the nets yesterday on a similar pitch: nobody hit him off the square and he took about 17 wickets. Jacks played beautifully today, earning the right on a difficult pitch. The biggest problem with our batting last year was losing too many wickets up top. Cross-seamers we found were really tough, and the slower balls, we saw Tom Curran utilise them brilliantly. [Roy] He's a world-class player. We've seen him for so long dominate attacks. It's only a matter of time. He's middled one straight to short fine leg. He's too good not to turn it around. With our batting unit, if it's a good pitch, we like pace on the ball. To come here and battle through those tough times... Will Jacks is a class performer and is a young player with a huge amount of potential in front of him. That was a coming-of-age knock, seriously mature."
Will Jacks is Match Hero: "Great crowd, really warm. We needed to bounce back and we did that well. We realised in the first few balls it was lacking in pace. We had to take it deep and take as few risks as possible. After the timeout with 30 balls left, we said that was the time to go. Any time you have wickets in hand, the fielding side feel under pressure."
Hang around for the presentations, which Matt will bring to you.
Hiruja: "Seems like TC is trying to get his brother's spot in the XI for the upcoming World Cup..."
Great Boo: "I take back everything I insinuated earlier about the vincibility of the Ovals!" --- Ah, such is life - and cricket...
4.47pm Invincibles never looked like taking this home comfortably when they were 51 for 3 off 41 balls with the bat. But propelled by Jacks' counterattacking 81, and Narine and Tom Curran's brilliant execution with the ball, they have hit back after a close opening loss.
yorker again on off, and driven down the ground. Roy from long-off runs to his right, and pushes the ball back last moment
wow, Zampa showing his batting skills here. Scoops this fullish ball on off over the keeper's head after getting across off, as Billings chases back
a back of the hand slower ball. On a yorker length on middle and off, and bunted to long-on
launches an inswinging yorker on off. Jammed out to deep square
Sam Curran back
shapes to scoop, but skillfully sneaks that past a diving Billings to his right. Full and wide of off, as he went across and opened the bat face while the bowler followed him outside off
swats that good length ball outside off just past Curran to long-off
on the bounce to long-on. Short of a length on off - and with that change of pace - as he pulls hard
ah, just past off stump. That was swinging into him and dipping too, as Curran bowled from wide of the crease. A full toss in a sense
starts with a slower ball. Full and outside off, as the batter barely has any clue while opening himself up to try and hoick. Play and a miss
Jamie: "What a performance this is from T Curran, including the 4 off the last ball of the innings!" --- And here he comes again.
short of a length on middle - and needless to say, it's a slower ball - which is swatted over mid-on
mid-on ran and dived to his right, as Roy there stuck his right hand out but couldn't get in hand. That was swung off a full length on middle, as Zampa was beaten by the lack of pace
drilled through extra cover! Yorker fired on off, as he made room and clattered that wide of mid-off for four
this is fuller, and outside off again. He went across off very early, and tried to scoop. But the ball went in between bat and off stump
back of a length, and just outside off. He backs away to try and heave to the on side, but doesn't connect
short of a length, and outside off. He misses his swing
Zampa out now. Curran from around the wicket.
bowled him! The change of pace working again on this pitch. He went pulling to this good length ball angling into leg, but was beaten by the lack of pace. Through his shot early, and gone
backs away, and skips down to swat-pull this short ball to long-on
change of pace. On a fullish length on middle and off, and chipped towards long-on
Sam Curran from over the wicket