Cox thrills as Invincibles hit record Hundred score

The Hundred men's competition, The Kia Oval

Oval Invincibles 226-4 (100 balls): Cox 86* (29)

Welsh Fire 143 (93 balls): Bairstow 50 (28); T Curran 4-15

Oval Invincibles won by 83 runs

Scorecard. Table

Jordan Cox lit up The Hundred as Oval Invincibles smashed the record for the competition's highest total by piling up 226-4 in an 83-run victory over Welsh Fire.

Cox crashed 86 not out from just 29 balls in a thrilling display of six hitting at The Oval and the Invincibles comfortably passed the previous record score - Manchester Originals' 208-5 against Northern Superchargers in 2022.

England right-hander Cox hit 10 of the innings' 17 sixes in front of a jubilant home crowd.

Openers Tawanda Muyeye and Will Jacks laid a platform of 76 in 39 balls before Cox, after a steady start, exploded into life by hitting four sixes in one set of five balls from Hundred debutant Ajeet Singh Dale.

The seamer then dropped Cox on 45 but the only further catching opportunities came for those in the stands.

Cox put on 97 in only 39 balls with Sam Curran who made 34, while Jacks' 38 from 28 was the next highest score.

Invincibles' dominance continued into the chase as Stephen Eskinazi was caught off Jason Behrendorff's first ball and Cox then produced one more special moment by clinging on to a spiralling catch running back from mid-on to dismiss Steve Smith for seven.

Fire were bowled out for 143, making it the third-biggest defeat in The Hundred, although by hitting eight further sixes they ensured the match featured the most sixes in one match in the competition.

Two-time defending champions Invincibles join Superchargers and Trent Rockets on 12 points at the top of the table but go top courtesy of their impressive net run-rate.

The 17 sixes hit by Invincibles is the most in a Hundred innings across its four previous seasons. Cox's 10 also equalled the individual record held by Liam Livingstone.

Remarkably, he took only eight runs from his first eight balls before flogging Singh Dale over the leg side for his first three boundaries.

A wide and a dot ball followed after which Cox, who was left out of England's white-ball squads on Friday, played an audacious reverse scoop over third man to the seamer's final ball.

From there the hitting was relentless. If Invincibles bowled short Cox whipped the ball over fine leg or powered it over extra cover. When the seamers went full they were hit at a strike-rate of 308.

"None of the bowlers seemed to be able to calm themselves down and it multiplied," former England bowler Steve Finn told BBC Two. "The way Jordan Cox played was freakish.

"It wasn't bludgeoning. It was timing the ball."

After Curran was caught, Donovan Ferreira emerged and crashed his first ball for six.

The 200 was reached in 91 balls and when Tom Curran flicked the 96th for four a new highest Hundred score had been reached.

There was still time for two more Cox sixes - one a glorious checked drive - but Muyeye perhaps summed up his side best.

"For me it feels like playing for [Michael Jordan's six-time NBA winners] Chicago Bulls in the 90s, in terms of cricket," he said. "That's how good everyone is."

The highlight of Sunday's action is the cross-Pennine derby between Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers.

The women's game at Old Trafford begins at 11:00 BST and the men's 14:30.

Birmingham Phoenix also host London Spirit on Sunday.

The women's game is at 14:30 and then men's 18:00.

You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.