MI London vs London Spirit Match 23 Full Commentary

We are back with the chase. Liam Livingstone and his men disperse from the huddle and take their respective positions on the field. Will Jacks and James Vince will open the innings for MI London. David Willey will open the attack for the home side. Jacks to face the first ball. A slip in place. Off we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Will 160 be enough? It has to be if London Spirit are to keep their playoff hopes alive. MI London do have the resources to gun down this total, but this surface has shown that it is not always easy to hit through the line. Spirit will also need to be mindful of the short boundary on one side and ensure they do not become too predictable with their plans. It is all set up for an intriguing chase, so stay tuned.

Let's hear from Nathan Sowter - Sowter says that he is happy with his performance. Adds that it was tough out there with the shorter side, and he was trying to hide the ball at times, but it is good to be back doing well at Lord's. Sowter says the surface offered a bit of assistance for bowlers who hit the deck, explaining that deliveries occasionally held in the pitch. He recalls one such ball that stuck in the surface after the batter had earlier played through a similar length, adding that while a bit of luck is involved with the short boundary, it is important to keep the stumps in play and hope for the best. Speaking about the chase, Sawter believes 161 is a gettable target on the surface. He says the message to the batters is to remain patient, take the game deep and make use of the shorter boundary when the opportunity presents itself. Looking ahead, Sowter expects a close contest, admitting he is a little nervous despite feeling the target is within reach.

Cameos kept Spirit going - There is a short boundary on one side, and early on MI London were a touch too predictable in trying to protect it. Lhuan-dre Pretorius made the most of that early predictability and raced away to a brisk start before falling to an outrageous catch from Will Jacks. The home side managed to stay on track through useful cameos from David Willey and James Coles. The visitors mixed it up much better in the second half of the innings and managed to bring the scoring rate down after removing Pretorius. Spirit, though, still found a way to reach 160, thanks to a strong finish. Sam Curran bowled just 10 balls, and that could be due to his fitness, having not bowled at all in the previous game.

London Spirit finish with 160 - Spirit scored 80 runs in the first half of their innings and then matched that with another 80 in the second. 39 runs were scored off the last 15 balls, and that late surge could prove crucial.

Richard Gleeson to close out the innings.

Trent Boult to bowl out.

Time to sign off from Lord's - That wraps up an entertaining day of London derby action, with MI London completing the double over their city rivals by winning both the Women's and Men's contests, the latter also ending London Spirit Men's playoff aspirations. There were plenty of twists and turns, keeping everyone on the edge until the very end. The Hundred action continues on 7th August, Friday, with Birmingham Phoenix taking on Sunrisers Leeds at Edgbaston. The Women's clash gets underway at 2 pm GMT (7.30 pm IST), before the Men's fixture follows at 5.30 pm GMT (11 pm IST). As always, you can join us a little earlier for all the build-up to both games. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

The victorious skipper of MI London - Sam Curran says the surface played pretty well and was fairly predictable throughout. He takes plenty of positives from the performance. On Sikandar Raza's arrival, Curran reveals the team knew well in advance that Rashid Khan would be unavailable and had informed Raza a few weeks ago that they wanted him. He praises Raza's experience and says impactful cameos like his often prove decisive in The Hundred. Looking ahead, Curran insists the focus remains on sticking to their processes, even though finishing top of the table would be a significant advantage.

One that slipped away - London Spirit struck early through Fisher, exactly the start they were after, and kept MI London in check for much of the middle phase despite wickets being hard to come by. Mason Crane then provided another breakthrough, while Nicholas Pooran's run-out briefly reignited Spirit's hopes. However, they had no answer to Sikandar Raza's counterattack. Jamie Overton swung the momentum again with two wickets in the same over, removing Sam Curran and Sherfane Rutherford, but handing the ball to James Coles with 23 needed from 15 balls proved costly. Coles conceded 17 from his five deliveries, leaving Spirit with too much to do despite Adam Milne dismissing Raza late on.

Late flourish lifts Spirit - Earlier, London Spirit posted a competitive total thanks to a blistering 28-ball 52 from Lhuan-dre Pretorius at the top. David Willey provided an explosive 31 off 18, while James Coles finally showcased his potential with a composed unbeaten 30 off 23. Overton added the finishing touches with a few lusty blows late in the innings. It was a mixed outing with the ball for MI London, as Trent Boult and Nathan Sowter claimed two wickets apiece and Richard Gleeson chipped in with one, though they will feel a few expensive sets prevented them from keeping the total in check.

A record chase at Lord's - MI London made a brisk start with Will Jacks setting the tempo, but he was unable to convert it into a big score. Nicholas Pooran and James Vince steadied the innings before Vince departed, while a crucial 43-run stand between Pooran and Sam Curran kept the chase on track. Pooran did most of the heavy lifting with a fluent 39 off 25 before a run-out halted his knock. Sikandar Raza, playing his first match of the season, was then promoted to maintain the left-right combination and made an immediate impact, smashing 32 off just 16 as he added a rapid 41-run partnership with Curran, who found his rhythm with a valuable 33 off 23. Although both fell before the finish, with only six runs required, Ollie Pope and Tom Curran calmly completed the chase.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Sikandar Raza wins the award for his match-winning cameo of 32 off 16. Raza jokes that he has lost track of the days after flying in from Sri Lanka 48 hours ago. He says it is great to have signed for MI London and adds that he could not have asked for a better start to his stint with the franchise. On his partnership with Sam Curran, Raza says they always believed the game could change quickly with Curran and Nicholas Pooran around, even though Curran took a little time to get going. He also credits Mason Crane for bowling well and says the partnerships were key to the chase. Asked about his favourite six, Raza picks the first-ball maximum. On Rashid Khan, he calls him one of the world's best and expresses hope that Rashid can return if MI London reach the final.

London is blue and gold - MI London come out on top in a feisty London derby, holding their nerve in the key moments to climb to second place in the standings. Their victory is made even sweeter as it marks the highest successful run chase at Lord's in The Hundred. For London Spirit, though, it is the end of the road, as they become the first team, men's or women's, to be eliminated from the playoff race in this season's competition.

London Spirit have been penalised for Slow Over Rate. An extra fielder needs to be placed in the circle.

The next batter in is Ollie Pope.

Not sure if it was the right call to bowl James Coles here, who was bowling his first set under immense pressure. Here is Adam Milne to bowl now.

Change? Yes, it will be James Coles. Big call from Liam Livingstone.

Double strike for the Spirit and they are still alive in this game. Tom Curran walks out to bat now.

Big moment in the game. Sherfane Rutherford is the next man in.