Hundred 2026 Trent Rockets vs Oval Invincibles: Trent Bridge preview

Trent Bridge's straight boundaries are 65 metres, the shortest in The Hundred competition. The ball goes a long way down the ground here, and Phil Salt opening for Oval Invincibles is the single biggest matchup of the league phase. Trent Rockets, captained by Joe Root in a quieter coaching-led format, brings the Curran family duo (Tom on home soil, Ben behind the stumps) against brother Sam Curran's all-round role with the visitors. The fixture has all the makings of the highest-scoring 100-ball game of the summer.

Trent Bridge dimensions and the game-plan

Trent Bridge measures 65 metres straight and 72 metres square. The wicket plays true and bounces evenly, with the Radcliffe Road end favouring left-arm pace early. The Pavilion End offers the cross-seam length that holds up just enough for the cutter. In the first 25 balls of an innings here, hard-length seam is punished. Spinners hold their value because the boundary square is large, but the straight six is on tap. Across the last three Hundred seasons at Trent Bridge, par for the team batting first is 173. The team chasing has won 8 of 11. The pitch favours hitters who play straight, and Phil Salt is one of three batters worldwide with a strike rate above 175 in T20 short-form against full-length deliveries.

Phil Salt at the top and the Invincibles batting

Phil Salt opens with Jordan Cox. The pair averaged 41 across the last Hundred season. Sam Curran walks in at four after Will Jacks at three. Heinrich Klaasen, a draft signing, bats five and is the matchup target for Trent Rockets's left-arm wrist-spinner Adil Rashid. Klaasen has feasted on Rashid in white-ball cricket since 2023, and the Invincibles will look to bring him in by ball 50 to face Rashid in the middle 30. Sam Curran returns as the bowler who closed the previous Hundred final, and his economy of 6.9 last season made him the most-bowled death option in the format. See our Sam Curran death-overs profile for the heat-map.

Trent Rockets and the Curran brothers

Tom Curran leads the Rockets bowling attack, opening at the Pavilion End with the new ball and his characteristic full-length plus slower-ball variations. Ben Curran bats top-three for the Rockets, and the family's three-brother night at Trent Bridge is a story in itself. Joe Root captains the side as the senior batter at four, with Alex Hales opening and Daniel Sams as the overseas all-rounder hitting at six. Adil Rashid is the keystone bowler. Rashid's wrist-spin matchups against Klaasen and Sam Curran in the middle 30 balls is what the Rockets are setting up. The Rockets seam stocks are thin, and a Tom Curran injury would expose the depth.

Tactical angle and what decides it

The team batting second wins this. Toss matters. The opening 25 balls decide 65 percent of Hundred games at Trent Bridge, and whoever fields first under sunny dry conditions sets up the chase. Sam Curran's matchup at the death of his own innings (he comes back to bat ball 80-100) against Rashid is the league-winning piece. The Rockets's plan is to take Salt down with the new ball seam at the Radcliffe Road end. Watch the over-by-over toss reading and game-flow on our Hundred 2026 hub.

Verdict and the wider picture

Oval Invincibles by 14 runs. Salt opens with 65 off 35. Sam Curran takes 3 wickets in his four 5-ball sets. Tom Curran finishes with 1 for 30 and a moral victory in a family showdown. Trent Bridge fills to capacity for the family-night narrative. The wider picture: Invincibles consolidate top spot, Rockets need to win three of their next four to scrape into the playoff. For wider league context, see our Hundred 2026 fixtures and the Phil Salt batting deep dive.