Will Jacks' Fifty Guides MI London to Dramatic Last-Ball Victory Over Southern Brave

Will Jacks produced a composed half-century as MI London edged Southern Brave by three wickets in a thrilling last-ball finish at the Utilita Bowl, securing their second win of the campaign and moving up to third in The Hundred standings.

Chasing a modest target of 130, MI London survived a tense finale to seal victory on the final delivery of the match. Ollie Pope struck the winning runs with a sliced boundary through backward point off Nikhil Chaudhary, capping a nervy chase on a challenging batting surface.

The visitors endured an early setback as Marcus Stoinis struck twice during the powerplay. Former Southern Brave captain James Vince was caught in the deep by Tristan Stubbs before Nicholas Pooran departed for a first-ball duck, caught behind, leaving MI London under pressure.

Will Jacks then steadied the innings with a vital knock of 54, sharing an important partnership with Sam Curran. The pair reduced the equation to 76 runs from the final 50 balls before Curran was bowled by Adil Rashid for 30.

Stoinis returned to claim the crucial wicket of Jacks, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 17 and leaving MI London needing 37 runs from the final 21 balls.

Sherfane Rutherford briefly swung the momentum back in MI London's favour with two towering sixes off Chris Jordan. However, Jordan responded with a brilliant direct-hit run-out to dismiss the West Indian. Tom Curran was then bowled by Chaudhary, while Rashid Khan was also run out, leaving MI London requiring three runs from the final three deliveries.

A dramatic penultimate over saw Chaudhary fail to hold onto a difficult caught-and-bowled chance off Trent Boult, with the bowler requiring medical attention after the attempt. Boult managed a single from the next ball, leaving Pope to finish the job with the winning boundary on the final delivery.

Earlier, Southern Brave struggled to build momentum after being asked to bat. Jamie Smith top-scored with 49 as the hosts managed only 129 for 9 from their 100 balls. MI London's disciplined bowling attack, led by Trent Boult's 2 for 15, consistently restricted the scoring, forcing Brave to settle for a below-par total.

The defeat marked Southern Brave's third consecutive loss of the tournament, while MI London's dramatic victory strengthened their position in the race for the knockout stages.

After the match, Jacks reflected on the hard-fought win, saying the conditions demanded patience and adaptability.

"It was a very tight one at the end. We're relieved to get over the line. It was a hard-fought game on a tricky surface. We'd spoken about the new ball often being the hardest time to bat in The Hundred. I've got out early in the last few games, so it was about assessing the conditions and digging in a bit deeper," he said.