The Hundred: Alex Hales stars as Trent Rockets beat London Spirit at Trent Bridge in men’s competition

Alex Hales wound back the clock to fire Trent Rockets back into the top three of The Hundred men’s competition with a 22-run win over London Spirit at Trent Bridge.

The 35-year-old World Cup winner cleared the ropes five times in a typically powerful 68, from 42 balls, before player of the match Rashid Khan claimed three wickets in his first six balls to effectively ice the game, save for a couple of massive blows from Andre Russell.

Rockets, who had lost their previous two games, posted 166 for four with Tom Banton and Joe Root providing hard-hitting support of their own for Hales.

The opener had not passed 38 in his previous 11 innings in the competition but found his groove as Rockets added 93 from the second 50 balls of their innings – the only moment of concern coming when Hales was temporarily felled by a Nathan Ellis full toss.

Banton thrashed 36 from 25 balls to set a platform while Root’s enduring know-how ensured a strong finish to the innings with 32 from 23 balls.

Afghanistan leg-spinner Khan then made an immediate impact with the ball on his way to figures of four for 24.

Spirit skipper Dan Lawrence’s attempt to attack Khan early backfired, picking out Rovman Powell on the rope from his second ball, before Shimron Hetmeyer was judged lbw on review from the next.

Keaton Jennings hit 31 from 18 only to direct his normally reliable reverse sweep into the gloves of Banton as Khan again showcased the match-defining qualities that has made him a star in white-ball competitions across the world.

Russell responded by dispatching Khan out of Trent Bridge with a mighty six that got the 10,564 fans off their feet. The Windies all-rounder crunched another massive blow into the stands while John Turner had to be removed from the attack as a second beamer hit Russell.

But just as the hosts had started to feel the pressure, Luke Wood expertly produced a slower ball that kept low and found Russell’s off stump.

Matt Critchley offered some late hitting, with 37 from 30 balls, but Sam Cook closed him out and there was too much left to do as defeat left Spirit with just one win from their five games and their hopes of reaching the knockout stage all but over.

Player of the match: Rashid Khan

“It’s just about the length you have to bowl on this pitch which is quite important. The most important was pitching the ball in the areas I wanted to.

“That’s what makes this competition beautiful – playing against the best in the world. I always enjoy such competition with the good batters and that’s true about Russell.”

What’s next?

The Hundred continues with four matches on Thursday. First, Welsh Fire and Northern Superchargers women get the day started at 11.30am, before another women’s match between Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave at 3pm.

Also at 3pm, Welsh Fire and Northern Superchargers men meet in Cardiff, then Oval Invincibles go up against Southern Brave men at 6.30pm. Every match from The Hundred is live on Sky Sports Cricket.

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