Mohammad Amir stars as Trent Rockets beat Sunrisers to stay top
Trent Rockets defend modest total to stay top through Amir's match-winning bowling brilliance
NOTTINGHAM: Mohammad Amir starred with a brilliant spell of 2/20 as Trent Rockets edged Sunrisers Leeds by five runs to retain top spot in The Hundred 2026 standings, while Aneurin Donald's explosive 19-ball 40 laid the foundation for a hard-fought victory.
Amir, alongside Matt Henry and Lewis Gregory, held their nerve in the closing stages, conceding just 24 runs from the final 15 balls to seal a thrilling win.
Electing to bat first, Trent Rockets suffered an early setback with the dismissal of Finn Allen. However, Ben Duckett and Donald launched a superb counterattack, sharing a rapid 63-run partnership from just 35 balls.
Donald dominated the scoring, hammering Matthew Potts for three successive boundaries before departing for a sparkling 40. Duckett then took charge, smashing Patterson-White for five consecutive boundaries to keep the momentum firmly with the Rockets.
Despite the explosive start, the innings lost momentum towards the end as Sam Billings and Tim David struggled to accelerate. Brydon Carse, Abrar Ahmed and Nathan Ellis bowled disciplined spells at the death to restrict the Rockets to 146-4.
Chasing 147, Sunrisers Leeds endured an early setback when Ryan Rickelton was dismissed for a duck. Mitchell Marsh and Zak Crawley rebuilt the innings with a composed partnership, with Marsh rotating the strike while Crawley provided the attacking impetus.
Crawley found his rhythm by striking Mitchell Santner for three boundaries but was bowled by the spinner for 26 just as he looked set to accelerate.
Harry Brook then shifted the momentum in Sunrisers' favour with an aggressive innings, particularly against Lewis Gregory, keeping the required rate under control.
However, Amir produced the decisive breakthrough by dismissing both Marsh and Brook in quick succession to swing the match back in Trent Rockets' favour.
Needing 24 runs from the final 10 balls, Tom Alsop and Dan Lawrence fought hard but could only manage 18, leaving Sunrisers Leeds five runs short as Trent Rockets secured another crucial victory.
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