In a nail-biting finish, Ollie Pope scored the decisive runs on the final delivery to propel MI London to a three-wicket victory over Southern Brave at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. Opener Jamie Smith was the top scorer with 49 runs from 26 deliveries, narrowly missing out on a half-century as he continues to make a strong case for inclusion in England's white-ball team. Tristan Stubbs contributed 38 runs from 31 balls, but the rest of the Southern Brave innings was underwhelming. Impressive bowling performances from Trent Boult and Sam Curran restricted the Brave to a disappointing 129-9 from their 100 balls.
MI London struggled to find their footing, with James Vince and Nicholas Pooran falling in consecutive deliveries to Marcus Stoinis. However, captain Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Sherfane Rutherford helped steady the ship. As the match neared its end, MI London required six runs from the final five balls. With the hosts on the brink of victory, Rashid Khan's dismissal left tailender Trent Boult on strike, needing three runs from the last three balls.
Boult managed a single, allowing Ollie Pope to take the strike and slice the final delivery into the outfield for the winning two runs. This win lifts MI London to third in The Hundred table, level on points with leaders Manchester Super Giants, although they have played one more game. Southern Brave, meanwhile, suffer their third consecutive defeat and remain second from bottom.