Nicholas Pooran delivered one of the most explosive innings of the early Hundred season as MI London swept to a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval, overhauling a target of 144 with a full 16 balls remaining in front of a crowd of 20,540.
Pooran came to the crease with MI London in trouble at 51 for three after 44 deliveries, the asking rate climbing and Sunrisers' pace attack having made early inroads. What followed was a partnership between the West Indian and MI London captain Sam Curran that dismantled the Sunrisers bowling attack with a combination of clean hitting and composed accumulation.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads
Brydon Carse set the tone for Sunrisers with a ferocious opening spell. He removed Will Jacks in the sixth ball of the chase — angling a delivery into the stumps before it seamed away, with Jacks spooning a catch to Benny Howell at cover — and then dismissed Jason Roy in the very next over, Roy edging a sharp delivery through to Mitchell Marsh at slip for a duck. Roy's dismissal came on his 36th birthday. Carse finished his allocation with figures of two for 18 from 20 balls, a miserly return that kept MI London under sustained pressure in the powerplay and middle overs. James Vince and Sam Curran then steadied the chase before Nathan Ellis accounted for Vince, who was bowled through the gate for 17 from 18 balls after a scratchy stay at the crease.
At the halfway stage of the chase, MI London required 86 from 50 balls with Curran and the newly arrived Pooran at the wicket. The equation looked demanding, particularly on what Pooran himself described as a slow surface in the early stages of the innings.
Pooran and Curran Change the Match
The partnership that settled the match was built on rapid acceleration once the floodlights came on and the ball began to skid onto the bat more readily. Pooran attacked the spin of Benny Howell immediately, hitting three boundaries in a single over — a four to fine leg, a six over long on and another four — to shift the momentum decisively in MI London's favour.
Dan Lawrence's off-spin offered no respite either. Pooran launched a six that barely cleared the boundary rope before adding a driven single to take the fifty partnership from just 23 deliveries. When Abrar Ahmed returned to the attack, Pooran swept him over square leg for six and then slapped another delivery over long on, bringing up his fifty from just 19 balls — the fastest half-century recorded by the franchise, inclusive of the previous Oval Invincibles seasons.
Curran, meanwhile, played the role of aggressive anchor. He brought up his own fifty from 34 deliveries, having struck five fours and two sixes in a knock that required sustained hitting under pressure. His six over straight midwicket off Abrar Ahmed was described in commentary as imperious, and a full toss from Matthew Potts was despatched over wide long on to leave MI needing just 11 from the final 20 balls.
Pooran Seals the Win
The match was finished in the 84th ball of the innings. Potts, in his final five-ball stint, conceded the winning boundary as Pooran launched beyond mid off to complete the victory. Pooran finished unbeaten on 58 from 22 balls, having come to the crease at 51 for three and guiding MI London home alongside Curran, who ended on 60 not out from 39 balls.
The winning stand was completed in 40 balls, a remarkable rate of scoring against a Sunrisers attack that had bowled tightly enough in the first half of the chase to keep themselves in the contest. Carse and Ellis were the most economical of the visiting bowlers, but once the conditions shifted and Pooran found his range, Sunrisers had no answer.
Pooran was named Meerkat Match Hero for his innings. Speaking after the game, MI London captain Sam Curran acknowledged being on the receiving end of such a knock, noting that Pooran was set to cause considerable difficulty for opposition bowlers at the Oval throughout the tournament.
