Ben Duckett delivered another impressive half-century, while Mohammad Amir claimed vital wickets in the closing stages, enabling the Trent Rockets to retain their position at the summit of The Hundred standings with a narrow five‑run triumph over SunRisers Leeds at Trent Bridge. Choosing to bat first, the Rockets enjoyed a lightning‑quick start thanks to the debut of Aneurin Donald, who was drafted into the side for his inaugural tournament match. Coming in at number three, Donald unleashed a blistering 40 runs from just 19 deliveries, peppered with three sixes, and set the tone for a dominant opening partnership that briefly put Duckett in a supporting role. When Donald was dismissed, Duckett assumed control of the innings.
He compiled a third half‑century of the campaign off 35 balls, overtaking Phil Salt to become the leading run‑scorer in the men's Hundred competition. Duckett and Tim David added a 50‑run stand in just 35 balls before Duckett was bowled by Nathan Ellis for 64 off 47 balls. The dismissal came after a second consecutive failure to connect with a scoop shot, a stroke that had previously cost him his wicket.
Tim David, after a slow start of 17 runs from 20 balls, found his rhythm and finished strongly, lofting the ball over the boundary off Matt Potts to help the Rockets post a total of 146 for 4. SunRisers began their chase with Mitchell Marsh in commanding form, accompanied by Zak Crawley.
The pair propelled the visitors to 32 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. Crawley accelerated against the spin of Calvin Harrison and Mitchell Santner but was eventually trapped by Santner’s guile, bowled for 26.
Harry Brook entered the fray with his usual aggression, racing to 24 runs from 14 balls before a missed chance behind the stumps by Sam Billings. Both Brook and Marsh slowed after their explosive openings, leaving the required run rate at 30 from the final 16 balls.
Brook was then caught brilliantly by Duckett at extra cover off Amir’s delivery, departing for 46. Amir followed by having Marsh caught behind by Billings for 41, leaving SunRisers needing 25 runs from the last ten balls. Matt Henry bowled an economical penultimate spell, conceding only nine runs in five balls, and Lewis Gregory finished the match by defending the final five deliveries, allowing just 16 runs and sealing the Rockets' victory. After the match, Duckett, crowned the Meerkat Match Hero, praised Donald's powerplay contribution: "Aneurin played extremely well in the powerplay, took a lot of pressure off me and got us off to a great start.
Delighted with that win, it was a fantastic team effort." He added, "It was sweeping today. I was struggling to play straight and knew there would be spin in the middle.
I was trying to trust my game that I would be able to catch up. On another day, that doesn't happen, but thankfully today it did." In a separate fixture, Rashid Khan claimed his maiden five‑wicket haul in The Hundred, complementing a blistering display from Will Jacks and Nicholas Pooran as MI London recorded a 45‑run win over Manchester Super Giants at the Kia Oval, propelling the home side to second place in the table. Batting first, Jacks adopted an aggressive mindset, driving MI London to their highest powerplay total of the season.
He smashed 34 runs from his first 18 balls, hitting four fours, and helped the side reach 45 for no loss after 25 balls. At number three, Pooran opened his innings with a six off Liam Dawson, setting the tone for a rapid onslaught. Jacks continued his assault, reaching a 28‑ball fifty with a maximum off Noor Ahmad before being dismissed for 62 off 31 balls, leaving MI London at 109 for 2 with 40 balls remaining. Pooran and Sam Curran then displayed dominant stroke‑play, adding 44 runs in 23 balls.
Curran was eventually stumped by Jos Buttler off Ahmad, but Pooran continued unabated, striking six, six, four off Gus Atkinson to reach a half‑century from just 25 balls. Trinidadian all‑rounder Nicholas Pooran was later bowled by Josh Tongue for 54 from 28 balls, while Tongue finished with figures of 2 for 13.
MI London concluded their innings at 183 for 6, their highest total of the campaign. Chasing a steep target, Aiden Markram launched the Super Giants' reply with an explosive 38 off 17 balls, taking the score to 55 for no loss.
However, Rashid Khan turned the tide, removing Tim Seifert and Jos Buttler for 17 and 2 respectively, the latter caught on the leg‑side boundary by Nathan Sowter. After reaching his own fifty from 25 balls, Markram was dismissed, caught by Sowter at mid‑wicket, leaving the visitors three down and still requiring 110 runs from 55 balls. Khan continued his spell, dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and Tom Moores in successive deliveries, and later claimed his fifth wicket by trapping Liam Dawson, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 17.
The Super Giants could only muster 138 runs, falling short but remaining in contention for a place in The Hundred Eliminator. Rashid Khan, also honoured as a Meerkat Match Hero, reflected on his performance: "I needed those wickets. I'd had a bit of a quiet tournament overall. I just tried my best to keep things simple and hit the right area consistently and I got the results.
Runs on the board makes a difference, but it's about hitting the right area consistently and making it as hard as possible for the batters." Fans can follow every match of The Hundred through to the finals on Sunday, August 16, with live coverage available on NOW, and stay updated via Sky Sports' WhatsApp channel for the latest news, videos, and analysis.