Buttler’s Blazing 70 Sinks Superchargers, Keeps Rockets in Finals Frame

Jos Buttler played a captain’s knock to remember, hammering a 37-ball 70 as Manchester Originals eased past Northern Superchargers by seven wickets, derailing the Superchargers’ hopes of finishing second in the group stages of The Hundred 2025.

Despite being out of the running for the knockout stage, the Originals finished their campaign on a high, chasing down 140 with 16 balls to spare. The result means the Superchargers remain stuck in third place, behind the Trent Rockets, who now control their own destiny. If the Rockets win — or if their match against Birmingham Phoenix is washed out — they will leapfrog into second, which carries a direct passage to the Finals should the Eliminator be rained off.

The match at Headingley had extra buzz with the return of Sir James Anderson, playing his first game in The Hundred. The 42-year-old legend struck twice in his opening set, removing both openers and drawing laughs when he left England captain Harry Brook sprawled on the ground attempting a scoop shot.

Brook (20 off 20) and Zak Crawley (17 off 17) failed to kick on, and the Superchargers were left reeling at 73 for 5 after 67 balls. Veteran Samit Patel, however, rolled back the years with a power-packed 42 off 19 balls, including four fours and three sixes. He shared a key stand with David Miller (30 off 22), giving their side a fighting total of 139 for 8. Tom Aspinwall starred with the ball for the Originals, finishing with figures of 3 for 17.

In response, the Originals lost both openers — Phil Salt (9) and Ben McKinney (6) — early, but Buttler and Rachin Ravindra took complete control. The pair stitched together a dazzling 99-run partnership off just 48 balls, dismantling the Superchargers’ attack. Ravindra remained unbeaten on 47 off 23 balls, sealing the win with consecutive boundaries.

Adil Rashid, usually the Superchargers’ trump card, endured a tough outing, conceding 39 runs from his 20 balls — his most expensive spell in The Hundred to date.

Speaking after being named Meerkat Match Hero, Buttler reflected on a bittersweet performance:

“The surface was a bit tricky, a bit slow. I thought we bowled exceptionally well apart from three or four balls and that allowed us to chase it down. We showed our best cricket in this last game when we were already out of the tournament, which is frustrating."

He added,

“Overall, over the course of the tournament, we left a lot out there. In a couple of games, we failed to get over the line and we are where we deserve to be in the end.”

With this result, the Superchargers will play the Eliminator at the Kia Oval, while the Originals bow out of the competition having shown glimpses of brilliance — albeit too late.

Brief Scores:
Northern Superchargers 139/8 (Patel 42, Miller 30, Aspinwall 3-17)
Manchester Originals 140/3 in 84 balls (Buttler 70, Ravindra 47*)
Manchester Originals won by 7 wickets