The Hundred | More things will unravel as the tournament goes on, reckons Jos Buttler
Manchester Originals skipper Jos Buttler has reckoned that as the inaugural edition of the Hundred continues, more things will unravel. Meanwhile Sam Billings, who played a match-winning hand for Oval Invincibles, termed the atmosphere 'unbelievable' and stated there was a bit of spin in the middle.
The Oval was witness to history on July 22 as it hosted the first game of the men's Hundred competition between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals. The Oval Invincibles side, which boasted the likes of Jason Roy, Sam Curran, Sunil Narine, Colin Ingram, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, and Saqib Mahmood, ended up on the winning side after they made 145. The Invincibles skipper Sam Billings turned the protagonist for the hosts as he made 49 off 30 after they were reduced to 32 for 3 with Tom Hartley wreaking havoc in the Invincibles camp.
The Originals, despite having the likes of Jos Buttler, Colin Munro, Phil Salt, Joe Clarke and Carlos Brathwaite, they fell short of the target by nine runs as no one came to the party barring Munro (26) and Brathwaite (37). Reflecting on the historic game, Jos Buttler opined that more things will come to the fore as the inaugural edition of the ongoing Hundred competition goes on.
"As the tournament goes on, more things will unravel and we will see how the games pan out. I enjoyed the game. Great game, great atmosphere. I hope all the cities back their franchise in this competition. We had some injuries to deal with before putting up our XI. It certainly felt quicker. You have to make quick decisions as a captain with the change of bowlers. Great to see a lot of young guys in the stands," Buttler stated after ending up on the losing side.
Sam Billings, who lead his side from the front, was in awe of the atmosphere at the Oval and felt the game was about adapting, which his side did well.
"Unbelievable atmosphere. It is one of the best grounds to play in the world, and it's nice to join the ladies up there with a win. The support was phenomenal, few of the local lads were Surrey lads and they closed the game at the end. It was a bit slow and we saw a bit of spin at the end. It is all about adapting and thankfully we got enough tonight," Billings stated after the win.
However, Billings reckoned that 150-160 is par and also lauded Sunil Narine, who strangled the Manchester batters.
"150-160 is par, but today on that kind of a pitch I thought we were close. Narine is a phenomenal man. He has done it all over the world and for a batsman coming in, it is really difficult."