Top 5 knocks of the 2023 Men's Hundred

After almost a month of exhilarating action, the 2023 edition of the Men's Hundred culminated on Sunday, August 27, with the Oval Invincibles winning the tournament. The side that went down in the summit clash was Jos Buttler's Manchester Originals.

Batting first, the Invincibles got off to a terrible start as they were reduced to 34-5. However, a record-breaking partnership worth 127 runs between Jimmy Neesham and Tom Curran allowed them to post a brilliant total of 161.

In the chase, Manchester lost wickets at regular intervals and were never really serious contenders to win the clash. They eventually fell 14 runs short of the target.

The game brought down curtains on what was a marvelous tournament, one that entertained fans to the core. Throughout the tournament, there were some breathtaking performances in all three departments, not least with the bat.

On that note, here's a look at the top five knocks of the tournament:

#5 Sam Billings (76* vs Trent Rockets)

In the 29th game of the competition, Sam Billing's Invincibles were up against Lewis Gregory's Rockets at the Kennington Oval. The Rockets had the first chance to bat and managed to string together a total of 148. Cameos from Colin Munro and the skipper himself took them to that mark.

The Invincibles got off to a disastrous start as they were reeling at 21-3 seventeen balls into their innings. However, the captain, Billings, stood up for his side, compiling a remarkable 76 to take his side home. His innings included five boundaries and as many sixes. He struck at an incredible rate of 190 and he was unbeaten as well. He was adjudged the player of the match for his whirlwind knock.

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#4 Jordan Cox (73* vs Northern Superchargers)

In a game between the Oval Invincibles and Northern Superchargers at Headingly, the former posted a total of 185 runs in their allocated 100 balls. The hero of the innings was the young Jordan Coz who played a thrilling innings, scoring an unbeaten 73 at a destructive strike-rate of 192.11.

Cox's knock included three sixes and eight boundaries and he strung vital partnerships with Will Jacks, Heinrich Klassen and Sam Curran. His innings proved to be a match-winning one as the Superchargers fell short of the target by nine runs when it was their turn to bat.

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#3 Phil Salt (86 vs Trent Rockets)

In the 23rd game of the tournament between Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets, Phil Salt played a destructive innings.

The Manchester Originals batter smashed 86 off just 32 deliveries in a knock which was laced with 12 boundaries and five sixes.

He shared a 70-run stand with Max Holden, a partnership in which he did the bulk of the scoring. He ended with a strike-rate of 268.75 which helped Manchester post a total of 181 on the board.

The Rockets batted extremely well to respond with 171 but Salt's innings was the difference between the two sides.

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#2 Jamie Overton (83* vs Northern Superchargers)

Jamie Overton, another batter from the Originals, lit up Headingly in game 18 of the tournament. The Originals won the toss and decided to bat first against the Northern Superchargers. Overton came to the crease with the scoreboard reading 73-4 with 59 deliveries left.

He played an innings that left everyone amazed, scoring an unbeaten 83 at a scintillating strike rate of 276.67. His innings included nine boundaries and six maximums. His knock came against a quality line-up featuring Wayne Parnell, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid and Reece Topley.

The Superchargers could only manage to score 141, going down by a margin of 40 runs in a game that was affected by rain.

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#1 Harry Brook (105* vs Welsh Fire)

Fresh from being left out of England's provisional squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup, Harry Brook played a knock for the ages. He unleashed mayhem at Headingly in game 30 between the Northern Superchargers and the Welsh Fire.

The Superchargers were in a terrible position, having been reduced to 28-4. Brook then took centre stage, notching up an unbeaten century. He scored 105 runs off just 42 deliveries with the help of seven sixes and 11 boundaries, thus lifting his side to a score of 158.

Unfortunately for him, the score was chased down by the opposition with 10 balls to spare but Brook's knock won him the award for the Player of the Match.