The Originals were buoyed by a strong opening partnership between Jos Buttler and Phil Salt but couldn’t quite get there, finishing on 147/6. Curran and Neesham smacked an unbeaten 127 off 65 balls for the fifth wicket, with the next best stand being 15 off 12 for the second wicket between Paul Stirling and Will Jacks. Neesham ended unbeaten on 57 off 33 with seven fours and one six while Curran was on 67 off 34 with four fours and five sixes. In the process, he ended up putting up the highest score by a batter playing at No.7 of lower in a T20 match.

The previous record was held by none other than former India captain and T20 legend MS Dhoni. Widely rated as one of the greatest finishers of all time, Dhoni had smashed an unbeaten 63 in 45 for Chennai Super Kings in the final of the 2013 season of the Indian Premier League against the Mumbai Indians. Unlike what was the case with Curran though, Dhoni’s innings came in a losing cause. Mumbai Indians had put up a score of 148/9 for CSK to chase at the Eden Gardens. Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson and Harbhajan Singh then took over and Dhoni almost played a lone hand in keeping CSK afloat. They ended up being restricted to a score of 125/9.

The Invincibles overhaul the Originals

After chasing 197 to beat Southern Brave in the ‘eliminator’ on Saturday, the Originals would have fancied their chances of overhauling the Oval total. But Manchester captain Jos Buttler, who had starred with a brilliant innings against the Brave, was bowled by Danny Briggs for just 11 to give the Invincibles a huge boost.

Max Holden’s brisk 37 kept the Originals in the hunt as they chased 32 from the final 10 balls. But Curran conceded only nine from the first five and his brother Sam Curran closed out the game to leave the Originals on 147-6. “Jimmy was unbelievable. It was a crucial partnership for us and we really fed off each other out there,” Tom Curran said.