Ben Duckett delivered another impressive half‑century and, together with crucial late breakthroughs from Mohammad Amir, helped the Trent Rockets maintain their position at the summit of The Hundred standings with a narrow five‑run triumph over the SunRisers Leeds at Trent Bridge. Choosing to bat first, the Rockets enjoyed an explosive start thanks to debutant Aneurin Donald, who was drafted into the side for his inaugural match of the campaign. Coming in at number three, Donald unleashed a rapid 40‑run assault off just 19 balls, punctuated by three sixes, and set a blistering tempo that forced an in‑form Duckett to play a supporting role.
When Donald was eventually dismissed, Duckett took charge of the innings. He compiled a swift 64 from 47 deliveries, marking his third fifty of the season and doing so in just 35 balls. In the process, he overtook Phil Salt to become the leading run‑scorer in the men’s Hundred competition.
Duckett’s innings featured a 50‑run partnership with Tim David, built in just 35 balls, before he fell to a delivery from Nathan Ellis after mistiming a scoop shot for the second consecutive game. Tim David, after a tentative start of 17 runs from 20 balls, found his rhythm and finished strongly, dispatching a boundary off Matt Potts as the Rockets posted a total of 146‑4. On the chase, SunRisers opened with Mitchell Marsh looking dominant, joined by Zak Crawley. The pair propelled the side to 32‑1 at the close of the powerplay.
Crawley accelerated against the spin of Calvin Harrison and Mitchell Santner but was eventually out‑foxed by Santner, bowled for 26. Harry Brook entered the fray with his trademark aggression, racing to 24 runs from 14 balls before Sam Billings missed a chance behind the stumps. Both Brook and Marsh slowed after their explosive starts, leaving the SunRisers needing 30 runs from the final 16 balls.
Brook was then caught brilliantly by Duckett at extra cover off Amir’s bowling for 46, and Amir subsequently trapped Marsh behind for 41, reducing the requirement to 25 runs from the last ten deliveries. Matt Henry bowled an economical spell, conceding only nine runs in the penultimate set of five balls, and Lewis Gregory sealed the win for the Rockets by defending the final five deliveries, allowing just 16 runs. After the match, Duckett, named the Meerkat Match Hero, praised Donald’s early 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 also reflected on his own innings, noting the challenging conditions: "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 secured a 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 power‑hitting display from Will Jacks and Nicholas Pooran. The win lifted the home side to second place on the table. Batting first, Jacks adopted an aggressive mindset, launching MI London to their highest powerplay total of the season.
He struck 34 runs from his first 18 balls, including four fours, and helped the team reach 45‑0 after 25 deliveries. At number three, Pooran continued the onslaught, opening his innings with a six off Liam Dawson. Jacks reached a 28‑ball fifty, hitting a maximum off Noor Ahmad, before being dismissed for 62 off 31 balls, leaving MI London at 109‑2 with 40 balls remaining.
Pooran and Sam Curran then built momentum, adding 44 runs in 23 balls. Curran was eventually stumped by Jos Buttler off Ahmad, but Pooran remained unfazed, blasting six, six, four off Gus Atkinson to reach a quick fifty from 25 balls. Trinidadian all‑rounder Josh Tongue claimed Pooran’s wicket for 54 from 28 balls, finishing with figures of 2‑13.
MI London concluded their innings at 183‑6, the highest total of their campaign. Chasing a steep target, the Super Giants opened with Aiden Markram, who answered Jacks’ earlier fireworks with an even more destructive display, hammering 38 runs from 17 balls to put his side at 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 reaching his own fifty from 25 balls, Markram was dismissed, leaving the Giants three 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 claiming his fifth wicket by trapping Dawson, ending with impressive figures of 5‑17. 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 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 underscore the intense competition as teams vie for the top spots ahead of the final stages of The Hundred, with the Rockets and MI London demonstrating the blend of power hitting and disciplined bowling that defines this fast‑paced format.