Jofra Archer and Marcus Stoinis combined to script a dramatic turnaround as Southern Brave defended superbly with the ball before overcoming a mid-innings wobble to beat London Spirit by five wickets at Lord's and keep their Eliminator hopes alive.
Asked to bat, Spirit were carried almost single-handedly by Jonny Bairstow, who battled his way to 56 on a surface that never allowed easy strokeplay.
Bairstow reached his fifty off 40 balls, but his dismissal triggered a spectacular collapse.
Chasing 106, Southern Brave suffered early setbacks as David Willey removed Ben McKinney for a first-ball duck and then accounted for Nikhil Chaudhary.
The victory keeps Southern Brave firmly in contention for a place in the Eliminator, while London Spirit's hopes of reaching the knockout stages suffered another significant setback.
Jofra Archer and Marcus Stoinis combined to script a dramatic turnaround as Southern Brave defended superbly with the ball before overcoming a mid-innings wobble to beat London Spirit by five wickets at Lord's and keep their Eliminator hopes alive.
Asked to bat, Spirit were carried almost single-handedly by Jonny Bairstow, who battled his way to 56 on a surface that never allowed easy strokeplay. Spirit reached 52 for 2 at the halfway stage despite Bairstow scoring at barely a run a ball, while Adil Rashid's dismissal of Liam Livingstone saw the legspinner move past Tymal Mills to become the leading wicket-taker in the history of the men's Hundred.
Bairstow reached his fifty off 40 balls, but his dismissal triggered a spectacular collapse. Archer ripped through the lower order with figures of 4 for 9, while Stoinis finished with 3 for 17 as Spirit crashed from 103 for 5 to 105 all out, losing their last five wickets for just two runs with eight balls of the innings unused.
Chasing 106, Southern Brave suffered early setbacks as David Willey removed Ben McKinney for a first-ball duck and then accounted for Nikhil Chaudhary. Jamie Smith counterattacked with a brisk 36, striking a towering six into the scoreboard, before James Coles trapped him leg before to keep Spirit interested.
Adam Zampa then tightened the screws by dismissing Moeen Ali, who was playing in place of the injured Thomas Rew, before Stoinis was run out at the non-striker's end to leave Brave wobbling at 60 for 5, still requiring 46 from 48 balls.
David Miller and Tristan Stubbs ensured there would be no late collapse. The South African pair calmly rebuilt the innings, adding an unbroken stand to take Brave home with three balls to spare, with Miller finishing unbeaten on 39 after sealing the chase with a six.
The victory keeps Southern Brave firmly in contention for a place in the Eliminator, while London Spirit's hopes of reaching the knockout stages suffered another significant setback.
