For the second time in four days, Manchester Super Giants proved too hot to handle for Sunrisers Leeds, sealing a 20-run win in the Eliminator of the Men’s Hundred at The Oval. The Super Giants posted a formidable total of 186, driven by Paul Walter’s 80 and Heinrich Klaasen’s 63, before Josh Tongue’s four-wicket haul and a clinical death-bowling display from Liam Dawson secured their berth in Sunday’s final against Trent Rockets.
Sent in to bat, the Super Giants suffered an early setback when Tim Seifert fell for a two-ball duck. Despite a modest 30-run Powerplay, the innings gained momentum as Jos Buttler and Paul Walter established a 57-run partnership. Buttler served as the primary aggressor, striking 33 before falling to a slower delivery from Matthew Potts. His dismissal, however, only paved the way for a dominant display from Klaasen and Walter, who dismantled the Sunrisers’ bowling attack.
Walter’s innings was marked by resilience and power; he successfully reviewed a caught-behind decision on 49 after the ball struck his thigh pad, subsequently clearing the boundary to reach his fifty. Klaasen was equally destructive, racing to a 22-ball half-century highlighted by consecutive sixes off Tom Lawes, who conceded 48 runs in his spell. The pair’s 114-run stand off 62 deliveries proved decisive. Walter finished with eight sixes, though his innings ended in an anticlimactic run-out while attempting a second run on the final ball.
The Sunrisers’ pursuit began poorly, as Mitchell Marsh and Zak Crawley fell early to Josh Tongue, leaving the side in trouble within the first ten balls. A spirited 81-run partnership between Harry Brook and Ryan Rickelton briefly revived the chase, with Brook taking 19 runs off a single set from Sonny Baker. By the halfway mark, the Sunrisers reached 92, holding a three-run advantage over the Super Giants’ score at the same stage. However, the momentum shifted when Baker dismissed Brook LBW, triggering a collapse that saw three wickets fall for just nine runs, including Dan Lawrence and Matthew Revis.
Liam Patterson-White provided a brief glimmer of hope with a quick-fire 17 off eight balls before becoming Tongue’s fourth victim. With 34 runs required from the final ten balls, Liam Dawson was introduced to the attack. Dawson delivered a masterclass in death bowling, conceding only 13 runs from his ten deliveries and effectively stifling the Sunrisers’ charge. This victory marks the Super Giants’ third appearance in a Men’s Hundred final, continuing the legacy of the Manchester Originals who reached the summit clash in 2022 and 2023.
Brief Scores: Manchester Super Giants 186/4 in 100 balls (Paul Walter 80, Heinrich Klaasen 63, Jos Buttler 33; Brydon Carse 1-22) beat Sunrisers Leeds 166/7 in 100 balls (Ryan Rickelton 54*, Harry Brook 49; Josh Tongue 4-26, Sonny Baker 2-39) by 20 runs.
But if anything, that and a 30-run Powerplay was a false alarm for the Sunrisers.
The southpaw was adjudged caught behind on 49 but he had the decision overturned on review with the ball having hit the thigh pad.
He failed to get hold of a Nathan Ellis delivery in the blockhole as he holed out to long on, but a partnership of 114 off 62 deliveries inflicted severe damage on the Sunrisers.
But his dismissal brought no respite for the Sunrisers as Heinrich Klaasen raced off the blocks and Walter gathered steam at the other end.
He hammered the next ball over the fence – aptly clearing his fancied cow corner region to raise a fifty.
Nothing that the Sunrisers tried worked on a beautiful batting strip.
As the tournament’s standout batter, Mitchell Marsh began with a four and a six off Gus Atkinson, but he miscued a Josh Tongue delivery to fall for his first sub-30 score of the season.
It proved to be an inspired move as he nailed three yorkers on the trot to get Rickelton off strike for good before dismissing Brydon Carse immediately.
