London Spirit has been eliminated from the 2026 Men's Hundred following a four-wicket loss to MI London at Lord's on Thursday, August 6. The result propelled MI London to second place in the tournament standings.
Chasing a target of 161, MI London relied on key contributions from Nicholas Pooran, who scored 31, and Sam Curran, who added 33. The momentum shifted decisively when Sikandar Raza arrived at the crease. The Zimbabwe all-rounder delivered a blistering 41 off just 18 balls, including three towering sixes in his first seven deliveries. Despite the dismissals of Curran and Sherfane Rutherford, Ollie Pope remained composed to complete the chase with six balls to spare.
The MI London innings saw an eventful start after Matt Fisher, who had earned an England Test recall earlier that day, saw his first delivery hit for six by Will Jacks before dismissing him on the next ball. Mason Crane also provided a difficult spell, conceding only three runs and removing James Vince for a first-ball duck. David Willey later brought the Spirit back into the game by running out Pooran with a sharp direct hit, but Raza’s explosive counterattack proved too much for the hosts. James Coles conceded 17 runs in his lone five-ball over, which featured a 105-metre six from the Zimbabwean all-rounder.
Earlier, London Spirit struggled to break free despite an enterprising half-century from Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who hit 52 off 28 balls. His innings concluded with a remarkable catch by Jacks, who juggled the ball over the boundary before diving back to complete the grab. While Liam Livingstone and Dewald Brevis were unable to capitalize on the platform, David Willey contributed a brisk 31 off 18 balls. A late flurry from Jamie Overton and Coles helped the hosts reach a competitive 160 for 5, though the total ultimately fell short against the visitors' firepower.
Although the all-rounder fell with 10 balls remaining, Pope calmly wrapped up the chase.
The South African struck 52 off 28 balls before his innings ended courtesy of one of the catches of the tournament, with Jacks juggling the ball over the boundary before diving back to complete a spectacular one-handed grab.
