A new name has done the trick. The Manchester Super Giants – once known as the Originals, now part of the tournament’s IPL-ification – triumphed in the final of the men’s Hundred, surviving a late wobble to beat Trent Rockets by five wickets. Tim Seifert set up victory with 72 off 38 balls; Liam Dawson completed it with two balls remaining, a six to seal it.
New Zealand’s Seifert turned Jos Buttler, his captain, into a support act in a chase of 159, his scarily high backlift producing seven sixes and a 23-ball half-century. The 31-year-old launched far higher than any of the Rockets, their innings defined by useful cameos. Noor Ahmad fizzed the ball down for the Super Giants, taking three for 33, but this was Seifert’s night as the Manchester side won the tournament for the first time after two previous runners-up finishes.
