Oval Invincibles come into the Hundred 2023 season looking to realise the success of their women's team, who have won both tournaments so far.
It was not an overly fruitful 2022 for the Invincibles and they have retained just one of their overseas players.
Oval Invincibles 2022 Hundred performance
The Oval-based side missed out on a top three spot by two points, despite having a solid net run rate that was actually a shade better than third-placed London Spirit. The points tally was one better than 2021, but the league position one worse.
Will Jacks was the standout with the bat, smoking 261 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 171.7. Those runs included an unbeaten 108, the second century in Hundred history after Will Smeed of Birmingham Phoenix.
Embed from Getty ImagesJordan Cox impressed with bat in hand as well, scoring 191 runs in eight innings with Sam Curran going one better with 192. The other Curran, Tom, was the only other Invincibles player to go past 100 runs; he did so with a number of cameos that led to a strike rate of 223.5.
Things were not helped with a number of top-quality players failing to produce the goods. Sam Billings, Jason Roy and Rilee Rossouw contributed just 201 runs in 19 innings combined, with Hilton Cartwright adding a further 62 in his four visits to the crease.
Bowling-wise, it was essentially a one-man show. Unsurprisingly, that one man was Sunil Narine. The West Indies great was the only player to have bowled more than eight overs with an economy rate of under 8.40; his was 6.05.
Embed from Getty ImagesNarine was also the only Invincibles player to record more than eight wickets, taking 11 in six innings. Sam Curran took eight, but no one else could truly provide Narine with any sort of wicket-taking support.
Changes to the Oval Invincibles squad in the Hundred 2023 draft
The Invincibles made a trio of solid and interesting picks at the 2023 Hundred draft. They picked up South African international Heinrich Klaasen, who has arguably been one of the best batters in t20 cricket this year, with sensational performances in both the SA20 and the Indian Premier League.
Their second overseas pickup was on the other side of the experience spectrum, but certainly on the same high levels of excitement. Ihsanullah burst onto the scene in the 2023 Pakistan Super League, taking a bundle of wickets with his powerful action and searing pace and aggression.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoss Whiteley was also picked up to provide some domestic experience in the middle order. He endured a statistically shocking time of things for Hampshire in the 2023 t20 Blast, but has a long history of domestic success in England and could still be a shrewd pickup.
Derbyshire's leading wicket-taker Zak Chappell and Kent's Tawanda Muyeye were both signed on the back of their respective Blast campaigns via the 2023 Hundred wildcard picks.
How 2023 squad shaping up
Potential starting XI: Will Jacks, Jason Roy, Sam Curran, Sam Billings, Heinrich Klaasen, Jordan Cox, Tom Curran, Sunil Narine, Gus Atkinson, Nathan Sowter, Ihsanullah
The Invincibles seem to have a fairly solid balance within their squad. The potential top six looks strong, especially if Roy can continue on from his form in the IPL. He can help form a dangerous opening duo with Jacks, with a string of batting talent set to follow those two.
Embed from Getty ImagesTom Curran will likely get the nod ahead of Whiteley, especially if he is able to bowl, having only bowled for the first time in the Blast against Somerset in the semi-final.
Nathan Sowter could well get a chance to build on his three appearances in 2022 after his brilliant form in the Blast. He will likely be challenged for a spot by Chappell, who also was in great form during the recently-concluded tournament.
With Chappell being a quick bowler and Sowter a leg-spinner, their respective selections will likely be down to conditions and matchups. Ihsanullah will provide an exciting element in attack alongside fellow pacer Gus Atkinson, who has improved this season with Surrey.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe loss of Reece Topley to Northern Superchargers and Saqib Mahmood to injury have hampered their pace attack, with the Invincibles hoping their inexperienced yet exciting pacers can cause enough problems for the opposition.
Another blow for the Invincibles has arrived in the form of Klaasen being unavailable from 20th August, though they have secured experienced New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham as a replacement.
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