Ben Duckett delivered another impressive half‑century, and Mohammad Amir’s late breakthroughs proved decisive as the Trent Rockets secured a narrow five‑run triumph over the SunRisers Leeds at Trent Bridge, keeping themselves firmly atop The Hundred leaderboard. Choosing to bat first, the Rockets enjoyed a blistering start thanks to debutant Aneurin Donald, who was drafted into the side for his inaugural match of the campaign. Batting at number three, Donald unleashed a rapid 40‑run assault in just 19 balls, peppering the attack with three sixes and handing the team an early surge that briefly eclipsed Duckett’s own form.
Once Donald was dismissed, Duckett assumed the mantle. He compiled a brisk 64 from 47 deliveries, marking his third fifty of the season and, in the process, overtaking Phil Salt to become the leading run‑scorer in the men’s Hundred competition. His innings featured a 50‑run partnership with Tim David, built in just 35 balls, before Duckett fell to Nathan Ellis after mistiming a scoop shot for the second consecutive innings.
Tim David, after a modest start of 17 runs off 20 balls, finished strongly, dispatching a boundary off Matt Potts to help the Rockets post a total of 146‑4. In response, SunRisers opened their chase with Mitchell Marsh looking dominant. He and Zak Crawley, both tall right‑handers, guided the side to 32‑1 at the end of the powerplay.
Crawley accelerated against the spin of Calvin Harrison and Mitchell Santner but was eventually out‑smarted by Santner’s guile, bowled for 26. Harry Brook entered the fray in his usual aggressive fashion, racing to 24 runs from 14 balls before a missed chance by Sam Billings behind the stumps. Both Brook and Marsh slowed after their explosive starts, leaving the required run rate at 30 from the final 16 balls. Brook was eventually caught brilliantly by Duckett at extra cover off Amir’s delivery, departing for 46.
Amir then claimed Marsh’s wicket, caught behind by Billings for 41, setting SunRisers a daunting 25 runs to win from the last ten balls. Matt Henry bowled an economical spell, conceding just nine runs in the penultimate five‑ball over, and Lewis Gregory capped the chase by defending the final five deliveries, giving up only 16 runs and sealing the Rockets’ win. After the match, Duckett, hailed as the Meerkat Match Hero on Sky Sports Cricket, 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, MI London recorded a commanding 45‑run victory over the Manchester Super Giants at the Kia Oval, propelled by Rashid Khan’s maiden five‑wicket haul in The Hundred and a flurry of boundary hitting from Will Jacks and Nicholas Pooran. The win lifted the home side to second place in the standings.
Batting first, Jacks set an aggressive tone, blasting four fours in his first 18 balls and propelling MI London to 45‑0 after 25 deliveries – the team’s highest powerplay total of the season. Coming in at number three, Pooran immediately made his presence felt with a six off Liam Dawson, establishing a platform for a rapid onslaught. Jacks reached a half‑century off 28 balls, scoring 62 off 31 before being dismissed, leaving London at 109‑2 with 40 balls remaining. Pooran and Sam Curran then accelerated, adding 44 runs in just 23 balls.
Curran was eventually stumped by Jos Buttler off Noor Ahmad, but Pooran continued unabated, hitting two sixes, another six, and a four off Gus Atkinson to reach his fifty from 25 balls. Trinidadian bowler Josh Tongue claimed Pooran’s wicket for 54 off 28, finishing with figures of 2‑13. MI London closed their innings at a formidable 183‑6, the highest total posted in this year’s tournament. Chasing a steep target, the Super Giants began brightly, with Aiden Markram unleashing a ferocious 38 off 17 balls in the powerplay, taking the score to 55‑0.
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 Markram’s fifty from 25 balls, he was dismissed, leaving the Giants three wickets down and still needing 110 runs from 55 balls. Khan continued his spellbinding performance, dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and Tom Moores in consecutive deliveries, and then trapping Liam Dawson for a duck, completing a five‑for‑17 haul.
The Super Giants, unable to recover, were bowled out for 138, but their elimination hopes remain alive. Rashid Khan, also dubbed a Meerkat Match Hero, reflected on his impact: “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.” Both matches underline the intensity of The Hundred’s mid‑season battles, with teams jostling for playoff positions as the competition heads toward its climax in August. Fans can continue to follow every game, including the upcoming finals on Sunday, August 16, via NOW’s contract‑free streaming service.