Kieron Pollard's Power-Hitting Leads Southern Brave to a Nail-Biting Victory Over Trent Rockets

Kieron Pollard’s explosive performance, featuring five consecutive sixes, propelled Southern Brave to a dramatic two-wicket win against Trent Rockets in The Hundred men’s competition at the Utilita Bowl.

Chasing a modest target of 127, Southern Brave found themselves in trouble at 78-6. However, West Indian all-rounder Pollard turned the game on its head by launching all five deliveries of Rashid Khan’s final set over the boundary, reigniting his team’s hopes.

Pollard continued his assault with two additional fours, but both he and Jofra Archer were run out in a tense final stretch. It was Chris Jordan who finally sealed the victory with a boundary through backward square, with just one ball remaining.

Trent Rockets, having won the toss and opted to bat, started strongly, reaching 46 without losing a wicket. However, openers Tom Banton and Adam Lyth were both dismissed without adding to the score, leading to a steady but unremarkable innings where five of their top six batters fell for scores in the teens.

Chris Jordan played a crucial role with the ball, dismissing Rashid Khan and Luke Wood within three deliveries, as the Rockets finished on 126-8.

Southern Brave began their chase on a positive note, reaching 43-0 before Alex Davies was caught by Banton off Sam Cook's bowling on the 30th ball of the innings. The home team then experienced a collapse, losing five more wickets—including three to seamer John Turner—while adding just 30 runs in the next 50 balls.

Pollard, who initially struggled with a scratchy six off 14 balls, suddenly unleashed his power, dramatically changing the course of the match with his brutal hitting against Rashid Khan. In just five balls, he brought Brave back into contention, and nine balls later, Jordan hit the winning runs, moving Brave level at the top of the table.

Following this victory, Southern Brave now share the top spot with Oval Invincibles, both with 10 points, though the Invincibles hold first place due to a superior net run rate. Southern Brave have, however, played one more match. Trent Rockets remain in fourth place, just behind Northern Superchargers, who occupy the final knockout qualification position.

The match featured a particularly slow phase between balls 47 and 80, where Southern Brave managed just 18 runs, mostly singles, with only one double. Before Pollard’s explosive over, Southern Brave needed 49 runs from 20 balls, but just five balls later, that requirement had been reduced to 19 from 15.