How the Manchester Originals fared in The Hundred

image-l7n6lxg9Jos Buttler and Kate Cross (PC: Twitter)

Undefeated in the six matches after losing first three, the men's team looked like a team to beat in this competition, whereas the women's side crashed out of the competition after a poor start.


Manchester Originals Men

image-l7n6n569Manchester Originals Men (PC: Twitter)

After a disappointing start to their season, the Originals fought their way back to win six on the trot to enter the finals of the second edition of the Hundred. Their side ended second on the table by winning 5 out of 8 matches with ten points. After regular skipper Jos Buttler was ruled out of the competition, Laurie Evans was passed the baton, who did a terrific job as the skipper.

342 runs from nine innings, explosive opener Philip Salt has turned out to be the second-highest run-scorer in the competition. His powerful starts, first with Buttler and then Evans, laid the foundation for a competitive total on the board, which heavily resulted in his side's favour. Also, he has amassed three half-centuries while batting at a strike rate above 150.

Manchester's strength more than their batting has been their dominant bowling attack featuring three bowlers in the tournament's top ten list of wicket-takers. With likes of Paul Walter, Joshua Little and Tom Hartley proving too good for the batters in the crucial stages of the game.

In the eliminator game against London Spirit, Manchester walked home with five wickets, thanks to a valiant effort from Laurie Evans, who smacked 72 from 34 deliveries with an impressive strike rate of over 200.

In a low-scoring encounter, the finals was an even close contest where the team lost by just two wickets after posting 120 on the board.

Manchester Originals Women

image-l7n6ns08Manchester Originals Women (PC: Twitter)

Finishing sixth on the table after winning two of their games, the Originals women lost their way out in the middle of the tournament with concerns surrounding their bowling. 

Not just for their bowling, their batting was also suffering several times. The proof that their best batter was Lizelle Lee, who could only manage 169 runs from six innings. Led by Kate Cross, who herself could only manage five wickets in their tournament, speaks about their struggles.

Sophie Ecclestone was one of the positive lights who grabbed eight wickets at the strike rate of 15, proving her worth. Her tight spells throughout the tournament helped her side build pressure on crucial junctures.

Their disappointing season could also be attributed to the fact that they conceded too many runs, which eventually turned out to be a bigger problem than they expected.

The team faced Oval Invincibles in their last match, where they were restricted to just 131 while chasing 164 for victory, eventually ending their campaign on a dispiriting note.

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