The Hundred: London Spirit v Oval Invincibles preview

bet365 News Team 26 Aug 22

London Spirit have been the team of the tournament so far this season in the men's Hundred, while the Oval Invincibles still retain genuine play-off hopes.

In the women's competition it is the Invincibles who have impressed most with three wins out of four, while the Spirit need a victory at Lord's on Saturday to avoid falling well off the play-off pace.

Spirit make stunning turnaround

What	London Spirit Men v Oval Invincibles Men, The Hundred
Where	Lord's, London
When	19:00, Saturday 27th August
How to watch	Sky Sports Mix, Sky Sports Cricket
Odds	London Spirit 4/6, Oval Invincibles 6/5

Last summer the Spirit finished bottom of the pile in the men's standings, winning just one of their seven games.

This season has seen a dramatic improvement, with Eoin Morgan's side winning their first four matches before falling to the Trent Rockets, only to recover quickly with a 17-run victory over Welsh Fire last time out.

This will be the second meeting of these two sides in this year's tournament, with the Spirit having edged a high-scoring affair at The Oval just over three weeks ago and they are 4/6 to complete a double against the Invincibles.

There have been no truly outstanding individual performances from the Spirit batters so far, but their line-up has worked well as a unit, with the big-hitting power of Adam Rossington, Ben McDermott and skipper Morgan a threat to any attack.

With the ball, seamer Jordan Thompson has led the way with 10 wickets and he is 3/1 to be top team bowler on Saturday evening.

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also remains a steadying influence and has been the most economical of the Spirit's frontline bowlers so far this season.

Narine the shining star now absent

A crucial factor in the Invincibles still having a chance of making the play-offs have been the performances of West Indian off-spinner Sunil Narine, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

The 34-year-old has taken 11 scalps at an average of 11.00 and an economy rate of only a fraction over a run a ball, however the bad news is that he has left for duty in the CPL and has been replaced by young Australian leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou.

Hatzoglou - 10/3 to be top team bowler - is set to make his debut against the Spirit, as the Invincibles continue to wrestle with issues with the ball, rather than the bat.

They have passed the 150 mark five times already this season, with their only failure to do so coming when they made 142-3 in beating the Southern Brave by seven wickets.

That strong showing with the bat has come despite Jason Roy, Sam Billings and Rilee Rossouw all failing to make any major contribution between them and all three will be desperate to correct that record against the Spirit.

Roy has a total of just 51 runs from six innings to date and a brave punter might take him on at 3/1 to be top team batter at Lord's.

Spirit Women in need of a win

What	London Spirit Women v Oval Invincibles Women, The Hundred
Where	Lord's, London
When	15:30, Saturday 27th August
How to watch	Sky Sports Mix, Sky Showcase
Odds	London Spirit Women 13/10, Oval Invincibles Women 8/13

While it is the Spirit men who go into their game as the team in form, the opposite is true for the women's match-up.

The Spirit women have won just one of the four games they have played to date and know that any further setbacks will almost certainly see them drop out of play-off contention.

With the bat their line-up has struggled for form, with the notable exception being Australian Beth Mooney, who has made 201 runs in four innings, averaging a touch over 100 and striking at a rate of 162.09.

Those are outstanding figures, but no other Spirit batter is into triple figures for the season and Mooney most definitely needs better support.

With the ball New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr has proved to be a quality acquisition in taking seven wickets and she is priced at 5/2 to be top team bowler on Saturday afternoon, while Mooney is 11/8 to once again lead the way with the bat.

Invincibles living up to their name

Having been crowned champions in the first season of The Hundred, the Invincibles women are once again looking like one of the teams to beat.

Three wins from four games played have them well placed to try and secure a play-off spot, with the Southern Brave having won five out of five to dominate the standings.

The Invincibles batting has not been entirely convincing, with Lauren Winfield-Hill's 74 not out against Northern Superchargers being the only score in excess of 50 registered.

However, with the ball the Invincibles attack has impressed as a group, with four bowlers currently having economy rates under seven runs an over.

South African Shabnim Ismail is one of that quartet and she is 10/3 to be top team bowler against the Spirit - having taken just one wicket in four matches despite playing a key role in the Invincibles' successes.