Oval Invincibles clinch back-to-back men’s Hundred titles as Saqib Mahmood tears apart Southern Brave -while London Spirit win first women’s title after besting Welsh Fire

Oval Invincibles retained their Hundred title after a stunning burst from Saqib Mahmood tore Southern Brave apart at Lord’s.

Watched by a near-capacity crowd of nearly 29,000, Mahmood – left out by the Invincibles earlier in the competition – took the big wickets of Leus du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans in seven balls at a cost of just one run.

The Invincibles were soon celebrating a 17-run triumph, in what may be the tournament’s final season before its teams are sold to private investors as the ECB look to safeguard the game’s financial future.

For Mahmood, who missed last year’s Hundred with a stress fracture of the back, this was a reminder of the class that earned him 22 England appearances across the three formats – most recently during a one-day series in Bangladesh in March 2023.

The Brave, perhaps still pinching themselves after Saturday’s back-from-the-dead victory over Birmingham Phoenix at The Oval, had reached 58 without loss from 42 balls before they unravelled.

A collapse of seven for 44 included captain James Vince – the tournament’s leading run-scorer – who was bowled by Will Jacks for 24. 

Jacks had given the Invincibles a quick start with the bat, bashing 37 off 22 balls, while late impetus came from Tom Curran’s 24 off 11 – including a remarkable six over extra cover off Jofra Archer.

Earlier, London Spirit won their first women’s title, beating Welsh Fire by four wickets as they chased down a target of 116.

Australian Georgia Redmayne was player of the match for her 32-ball 34, while England captain Heather Knight managed 24 off 18 and Danielle Gibson hit five fours in nine balls as the Spirit closed in. 

Indian all-rounder Deepti Shah’s six over long-on settled matters with two balls to spare

The game was watched by 22,009, a record for a women’s match in the Hundred.