MI London climbed to third place in the points table after clinching a hard-fought three-wicket victory over Southern Brave in a final-ball thriller at the Utilita Bowl. Chasing a target of 130 on a sluggish pitch, MI London relied on a composed half-century from Will Jacks and a calm finish from Ollie Pope to secure their second win in three matches. The result leaves Southern Brave still searching for their first win of the season after three games.
The chase began poorly for MI London as Marcus Stoinis quickly dismantled their top order. James Vince was caught in the deep, and Nicholas Pooran fell behind the stumps on his first ball, leaving the side under early pressure. Jacks and Sam Curran steadied the innings with a pivotal 65-run partnership, bringing the required equation down to 76 runs from the final 50 balls. Adil Rashid eventually broke the stand by bowling Sam Curran for 30, and Stoinis returned to remove Jacks for 54, finishing his spell with impressive figures of 3 for 17. With 37 runs needed from the last 21 balls, the match remained in the balance.
Sherfane Rutherford briefly shifted momentum by hitting Chris Jordan for two sixes, but Jordan responded by running him out with a direct hit. Further wickets fell as Nikhil Chaudhary bowled Tom Curran and Rashid Khan was run out, leaving MI London needing three runs from the final three deliveries. After Chaudhary missed a difficult return catch off Trent Boult, the New Zealand quick managed a single to put Pope on strike for the final ball. Pope then sliced the delivery through backward point to seal the victory.
Earlier, Southern Brave struggled to find fluency, though Jamie Smith provided a bright spot with a 26-ball 49. Despite a 46-run stand between Smith and Tristan Stubbs, the middle order failed to capitalize. MI London’s bowlers, including Trent Boult, Tom Curran, Richard Gleeson, and Sam Curran, each claimed two wickets to restrict Brave to 129 for 9. Stubbs contributed 38 off 31 balls, but the team ultimately fell short of a competitive total as their innings lacked a late flourish.
Ben McKinney and Stonis didn't contribute much with the bat but Smith's 26-ball 49 ensured good progress for Brave.
The middle order didn't make an impact as David Miller fell for 8 and Stubbs departed soon after for a 31-ball 38.
