Lhuan-dre Pretorius blazed away to a 28-ball 64 as London Spirit chased down 165 with seven wickets and 11 balls to spare, handing MI London their second defeat of the season in a high-scoring London derby at The Oval.

The 20-year-old South African all but settled the chase inside the Powerplay. Opening alongside Jonny Bairstow, Pretorius tore into Trent Boult from the outset, including a towering 106-metre six over midwicket, as Spirit raced to 50 in just 18 balls. The pair added 61 without loss in the first 25 balls, leaving MI London with little room to recover.

Bairstow’s brisk 23 off 12 ended soon after, but Pretorius showed no signs of slowing down. He brought up his maiden fifty in The Hundred off just 23 deliveries and hit seven sixes in his whirlwind stay before Boult eventually dismissed him for 64 with Spirit already on 101. Dewald Brevis then ensured there were no late jitters, finishing unbeaten on 37 off 18 as Spirit sealed their first victory of the campaign.

Earlier, MI London recovered well after a subdued start to post 164. Will Jacks and James Vince managed only 28 without loss in the Powerplay as David Willey and Adam Milne kept things tight with the new ball. Once the field spread, the pair accelerated, with Jacks reaching a 30-ball half-century.

Spirit, however, dragged themselves back into the contest through a decisive middle-phase burst. James Coles broke the opening stand by removing Vince for 26 before Jamie Overton struck twice in three balls to dismiss Jacks for a well-made 65 and Nicholas Pooran cheaply. Jacks’s innings also took him past the mark as the leading run-scorer in the history of the Men’s Hundred.

Overton added another key wicket when Jason Roy was caught behind on review after replacing Sam Curran, who missed the game as a precaution because of muscle tightness. Sherfane Rutherford then provided the late surge with a 19-ball 41, lifting MI London beyond 160 before falling off the final ball of the innings.

Rutherford’s cameo gave MI London a competitive total, but that still wasn’t enough to stop Spirit from opening their account for the season.

Brief Scores: MI London 164/5 in 100 Balls (Will Jacks 65 off 44, Sherfane Rutherford 41 off 19; Jamie Overton 3-30) lost to London Spirit 165/3 in 89 Balls (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 64 off 28, Dewald Brevis 37* off 18) by 7 wickets