Pollard and Thompson power London Spirit to a 52-run win over Manchester Originals
A sensational spell of 4-21 (in 20 deliveries) by seamer Jordan Thompson and whirlwind knocks from Kieron Pollard, and skipper Eoin Morgan has powered London Spirit to a 52-run win over Manchester Originals at Lord's on Tuesday.
Defending 161, the Spirits got off to a sensational start as Thompson knocked over the dangerous Jos Buttler for an 11-ball 6. Thompson then followed it up with the dismissal of Wayne Madsen (9 off 8) to leave the Originals' reeling at 39/2 in as many deliveries.
The rot did not stop there as Manchester's middle-order fell away in a stunning collapse, which saw none of the batters from 3-7- including Tristan Stubbs (1 off 2) and Andre Russell (5 off 5)- register double digit scores.
While Thompson was the wrecker-in-chief, he was duly supported by the spin duo of Liam Dawson (2-27 in 20 deliveries) and Mason Crane (2-21 in 18 deliveries).
Amid the ruins, opener Phil Salt stood tall and it was largely because of his 34-ball 36, and decent contributions from Sean Abbott (10 off 7) and Tom Hartley (17* off 14) that Manchester were able to breach the 100-run mark.
They were eventually dismissed for 108 on the 98th delivery of the innings.
Sensational Pollard powers London Spirit to 160/6 with a whirlwind
Earlier, the Spirit rode rode on valuable knocks from Zak Crawley (41 off 34), Kieron Pollard (34* off 11), and Eoin Morgan (37 off 26) to post 160/6 in their quota of 100 balls.
The Eoin Morgan-led unit were rocked early in their innings when seamer Abbott trapped opener Adam Rossington leg-before-wicket for a golden duck.
Opener Zak Crawley, who smashed three 4s and a couple of sixes during his 34-ball 41, added 42 and 54 runs with Maxwell (21 off 15) and Morgan in 30 and 33 deliveries respectively to take the score to 105-2 (after 70 deliveries).
However, he and Morgan fell within the space of 6 runs (and 9 balls) to Matt Parkinson (1-26 in 15 deliveries) and Paul Walter (2-18 in 20 deliveries), leaving the hard-hitting Pollard to do all the heavy lifting.
And, the former West Indian skipper duly obliged as he laid into the limes of Fred Klaassen (1-35 in 20 deliveries) and Andre Russell (0-27 in 15 deliveries) to power his side to an eventual match-winning score.
Thanks to this win, the London Spirits have claimed the numero-uno spot in the points table. Manchester Originals, meanwhile, are still without a win after two games, and their position (2nd last) in the table is an apt reflection of that.
Brief Scores:
London Spirit: 160/6 (100)
Zak Crawley 41 (34), Kieron Pollard 34* (11), Eoin Morgan 37 (26);
Paul Walter 2-18 (20b), Matt Parkinson 1-26 (15b)
Manchester Originals 108/10 (98)
Phil Salt 36 (34), Tom Hartley 17* (14);
Jordan Thompson 4-21 (20b), Mason Crane 2-21 (18b)
Result: London Spirit won by 52 runs
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