Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade starred for the London Spirit with the bat and in the field during Wednesday’s three-wicket loss to the Oval Invincibles.
The Tasmanian scored 37 from 27 balls in the Spirit’s opening match of The Hundred at Lord’s, slapping four boundaries before falling victim to English all-rounder Tom Curran.
However, the highlight of Wade’s match came in the penultimate five-ball set of the run chase, when the 35-year-old saved four runs with a stunning effort in the outfield.
Invincibles all-rounder Gus Atkinson smacked a low full toss towards deep square leg for what looked like a certain six, only for Wade to lunge over the rope and flick the ball back into play while airborne.
However, Wade’s heroics in the field couldn’t prevent defeat, with West Indies superstar Sunil Narine cracking an unbeaten 13 from five balls at the death to secure victory for the Invincibles.
Spirit teammate Nathan Ellis, who has played alongside Wade for the Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmania Tigers, claimed 2-31 from 19 balls during the run chase.
Elsewhere in The Hundred, Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams snared three wickets for the Trent Rockets during Tuesday’s six-run victory over the Southern Brave at Trent Bridge. Chasing a 134-run target for victory, the Brave were bowled out for 127, with T20 globetrotter Tim David scoring 5 (4).
Meanwhile, Victoria’s Matt Short claimed 2-9 from ten balls, including the prized scalp of Shadab Khan, during the Northern Superchargers’ washout against the Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday.
In the women’s competition, Australian rising star Phoebe Litchfield scored an unbeaten 42 from 29 balls in the Superchargers’ thumping seven-wicket victory over the Phoenix at Headingley, helping chase the 111-run target with 22 balls to spare.
Superchargers teammate Georgia Wareham stole the show with a one-handed return catch to dismiss compatriot Erin Burns in the first innings, finishing with figures of 1-24 from 20 balls.