Tongue’s 4 for 26 ends the highest-scoring team in the Hundred, and Manchester go to Lord’s

Sunrisers Leeds made 241 for 2 against London Spirit this month, the highest total anyone has managed in the history of the Hundred. It bought them nothing. They went out on Friday night at the Kia Oval, beaten by 20 runs in the eliminator, and Manchester Super Giants go to Lord’s on Sunday to play Trent Rockets for the title.

Fifty-two balls that settled it

Paul Walter and Heinrich Klaasen came together and put on 114 in 52 balls, which is roughly half an innings in this format and most of a match in practical terms. Walter made 80 from 46 with eight sixes. Klaasen hit four of his own on the way to 63 from 26, a knock that lasted about as long as a drinks break and did more damage than most full innings manage.

Jos Buttler had already given them 33 from 20 at the top. Manchester finished on 186 for 4 from their 100 balls, a total with plenty of room in it.

Tongue took the top order apart

Josh Tongue finished with 4 for 26 and won the match award, and the wickets came in the places that hurt most. Mitchell Marsh went for 10 from six balls. Zak Crawley made six from three. Sunrisers had built their whole season on their top order getting away quickly, and by the time the innings had properly started, two of the three men who do that were back in the dressing room.

Harry Brook kept them in it for a while with 49 from 31 before an lbw decision ended him. Ryan Rickelton was still there at the close on 54 not out from 34, which tells you how the rest of it went. Sonny Baker took two for 39 and worked through the middle order alongside Tongue. Sunrisers finished on 166 for 7.

The table had already warned them

Manchester and Sunrisers both ended the league stage on 20 points. Net run rate put Manchester second and Sunrisers third, which is how they ended up in an eliminator rather than waiting at Lord’s, and the result that decided the order was Manchester chasing down 128 against them with 33 balls to spare earlier in the month. Trent Rockets topped the group on 24 and have not had to play since.

Buttler, who captains Manchester, said afterwards that players had stood up at the right moments and that the catching had been good. That is a captain’s summary of an evening where his openers hit the ball a long way and his fast bowler did the rest.

When to watch the finals from India

Both finals are at Lord’s on Sunday 16 August. The women’s game starts at 2:15pm BST, which is 6:45pm IST, and the men’s follows at 6pm BST, or 10:30pm IST. Trent Rockets are in both of them.

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