Raza’s Late Power Carries MI London Through Lord’s Chase

London Spirit had 160 runs to defend and the Lord’s crowd behind them, but their room for error had disappeared long before the final six balls. When Sikandar Raza began finding the boundary, a competitive contest turned into another damaging defeat for a team whose qualification hopes were already fading.

Raza struck four sixes in a rapid 32 from 16 balls after Nicholas Pooran and captain Sam Curran had repaired MI London’s chase. Their combined work carried the visitors to 164 for six from 94 balls, completing a four-wicket victory on Thursday, August 6.

The result moved MI London onto 16 points and strengthened their control of a top-three place. Spirit remained on four points and, with only two matches left, were mathematically eliminated from the knockout race.

TL;DR

• MI London chased 161 in 94 balls to win by four wickets.
• Sikandar Raza’s 32 from 16 balls, featuring four sixes, provided the decisive acceleration.
• Nicholas Pooran made 39, while Sam Curran added a measured 33.
• Lhuan-dre Pretorius led London Spirit with an explosive 52 from 28 balls.
• Nathan Sowter and Trent Boult took two wickets each to restrict Spirit to 160 for five.
• MI London strengthened their qualification position, while Spirit’s top-three hopes ended.

MI London vs London Spirit Scorecard

Detail	Information
Match	London Spirit vs MI London
Competition	The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026
Date	August 6, 2026
Venue	Lord’s, London
Toss	MI London won the toss and bowled
London Spirit	160/5 from 100 balls
MI London	164/6 from 94 balls
Result	MI London won by four wickets with six balls remaining
Top Performer	Sikandar Raza, 32 from 16 balls
Leading Spirit Batter	Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 52 from 28 balls
Best MI London Bowlers	Trent Boult 2/35; Nathan Sowter 2/29
Turning Point	Curran and Raza added 41 from 18 balls
Tournament Impact	MI London climbed to 16 points; Spirit were eliminated

Pretorius Gives Spirit an Aggressive Start

MI London chose to bowl and quickly removed Jonny Bairstow, but Pretorius refused to let the early wicket dictate the innings. The South African prospect attacked pace and spin with clean swings, reaching 52 from only 28 balls with five fours and three sixes.

His willingness to hit through the line gave Spirit momentum, although the innings became increasingly dependent on him. Liam Livingstone struggled to six from nine balls, while Dewald Brevis managed four from nine.

Nathan Sowter changed the shape of the innings by removing Livingstone and Pretorius. Spirit slipped from 61 for one to 79 for three, losing their most dangerous batter before he could launch a sustained assault through the final quarter.

David Willey responded with 31 from 18 balls, but another cluster of wickets left Spirit at 118 for five after 80 balls. James Coles and Jamie Overton then rescued the finish, adding 42 from the last 20 deliveries. Coles remained unbeaten on 30 from 23, while Overton struck 13 from six.

A total of 160 offered Spirit something to defend. It also felt short of what Pretorius’ innings had briefly promised.

Boult finished with two for 35, while Sowter’s two for 29 gave MI London control during the middle phase. Their work continued a campaign in which the franchise’s power hitters have frequently received a useful platform from the bowling unit, as seen in MI London’s victory over Manchester Super Giants.

Pooran and Curran Rebuild the Chase

MI London lost Will Jacks and James Vince inside the first 31 balls, leaving the chase delicately placed at 48 for two. Spirit had created pressure, and Lord’s began to sense that 160 might be enough.

Pooran settled the situation without abandoning his natural aggression. He scored 39 from 25 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes, and shared a 43-run partnership with Curran.

Their approach mattered as much as the runs. Pooran forced Spirit to protect the boundary, while Curran worked the spaces and kept the required rate under control. Pooran’s dismissal at 91 for three gave the hosts another opening, but Raza immediately refused to let the pressure settle.

Curran and Raza added 41 from 18 balls, the partnership that decided the match. Raza targeted the short boundary and punished anything delivered in his hitting arc. His four sixes transformed a manageable chase into one MI London could finish without needing the final set.

Curran departed for 33 from 23, and Spirit removed Sherfane Rutherford before Raza fell with six runs still required. Tom Curran and Ollie Pope completed the job, with Pope’s boundary taking MI London to 164 for six.

Jamie Overton led Spirit’s attack with two for 23, but the bowlers could not contain all three of Pooran, Sam Curran and Raza. That middle-order depth also proved decisive in MI London’s earlier win over Southern Brave.

Updated Hundred 2026 Points Table

Standings immediately after this match. Net run rate is omitted because the official table had not yet refreshed it.

Position	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points
1	Trent Rockets	6	5	1	20
2	MI London	6	4	2	16
3	Welsh Fire	6	4	2	16
4	Manchester Super Giants	6	3	3	12
5	SunRisers Leeds	5	3	2	12
6	Southern Brave	6	2	4	8
7	London Spirit	6	1	5	4
8	Birmingham Phoenix	5	1	4	4

The top team advances directly to the final, while second and third contest the Eliminator. MI London now have four wins from six and hold a strong position with two league matches remaining.

Their next game against Trent Rockets on August 8 could influence both the direct-final race and the battle for home advantage in the Eliminator. The wider qualification picture remains available through The Sports Encounter’s cricket coverage hub, including analysis of Trent Rockets’ campaign against Birmingham Phoenix.

Spirit can reach only 12 points by winning their remaining matches. With the third-placed side already on 16, their elimination is confirmed. That outcome completes a difficult stretch that included Jofra Archer’s destructive spell against Spirit and the record-breaking batting assault they suffered at Headingley.

MI London Find the Depth Spirit Lack

Pretorius gave London Spirit the most exciting individual innings of the night, but MI London produced contributions across both disciplines. Sowter and Boult controlled the first innings before Pooran, Curran and Raza divided the responsibility of the chase.

Spirit found another promising player in Pretorius, yet their inability to build around his innings exposed the problem that has followed them through the tournament. MI London, by contrast, found an answer each time the match tightened.

That difference left one side looking toward the knockout stage and the other facing two remaining fixtures with pride, development and selection planning as its principal rewards.https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/sentinel/frame.html?sv=20260423af3c