3 Oval Invincibles Players who could end up with most wickets in The Hundred Men’s Competition 2021
Besides strong batting personnel, London based Oval Invincibles are glint with some prominent figures in their bowling department for the inaugural edition of The Hundred. It’s these gents that are expected to hold them in good stead during the maiden 100-ball competition in the UK this summer.
For the tournament starting July 22, the Invincibles, who are based at The Oval ground in London, boast Sunil Narine, Sandeep Lamichhane, Reece Topley and Saqib Mahmood among others in their bowling attack.
The Oval Invincibles need their bowling unit to consistently produce the goods, provide their team control and the wicket-taking threat throughout the tournament if they are to lift the coveted trophy at Lord’s on August 21.
The Invincibles will kick off their campaign with an opening day home fixture against the Manchester Originals and play a further three games at their base venue. But they’ll also move around England for the rest of their eight-match league stage journey, which makes it doubly important for the likes of Narine, Saqib and Lamichhane to come to the party.
Sandeep Lamichhane is part of the Oval Invincibles squad for The Hundred
Which Oval Invincibles bowler could finish as the leading wicket-taker in The Hundred?
1. Saqib Mahmood
Right-arm pacer Saqib Mahmood has been fantastic for England in the ongoing ODI series against Pakistan. Mahmood has taken 6 wickets from his 2 innings at an average of just 10.50 while going for only 3.50 runs per over. Mahmood had also taken 8 wickets from his 4 outings for Lancashire in the T20 Blast before entering the Pakistan series.
Saqib’s ability to generate seam movement out of generally flat limited-overs tracks in England at a skiddish pace makes him a potential candidate to end as the top wicket-taker in The Hundred.
2. Sandeep Lamichhane
Nepal’s leg-spin sensation Sandeep Lamichhane could prove to be the most valuable addition to the Oval Invincibles squad for The Hundred. He might be only 20 years old but Lamichhane has already made a big name for himself through exploits in several leagues around the world.
Lamichhane has taken 138 wickets in his overall T20 career from 101 matches while giving away only 6.86 runs per over. He will be a difficult prospect for most opposition batsmen to line up during the 100-ball competition.
Also Read: 3 London Spirit Players Who Could End Up With Most Runs In The Hundred Men’s Competition 2021
3. Reece Topley
Left-arm seamer Reece Topley is another crucial cog in Oval Invincibles’ wheels for the first-ever edition of The Hundred. Topley has been held back by injuries through his career but is a very fine exponent of the left-arm angle and swing movement.
Combine that with Topley’s high release points and ability to regularly keep the ball away from the batsman’s arc and he seems destined to take a lot of wickets. The pacer has taken 116 wickets from 83 innings in his overall T20 career.