Melie Kerr scored an unbeaten 69 from 41 balls — including four sixes, having never cleared the rope in The Hundred before — as MI London beat London Spirit by three runs at Lord's on 6 August 2026. The 122-9 to 119-8 result was MI London's first win of the 2026 campaign, ending a five-match winless run that had left them adrift in the table BBC Sport.

The Hundred, for the uninitiated, is cricket's 100-ball-per-side format: each team faces 100 deliveries in five-ball blocks, and matches move fast enough that a single over can swing the outcome. MI London's innings hinged almost entirely on Kerr. Chinelle Henry's 22 off 15 was the only other score in double figures. Captain Hollie Armitage managed six before becoming one of three wickets to fall in a stunning five-ball burst from London Spirit's Charlie Dean.

Dean, the Spirit's skipper, removed Armitage, Nicola Carey and Alice Monaghan in a spell that read wicket, wicket, dot, wicket — all three dismissed for single figures. For a moment, Lord's belonged to the home side.

Then Kerr took over. She had never hit a six in The Hundred before this innings. She hit four of them here, three off Dean alone, plundering 26 runs from the final 10 balls to haul MI London to 122 for nine BBC Sport. A total that looked modest suddenly looked competitive.

London Spirit's chase wobbled early but found life through Nadine de Klerk, who made 35 off 29 and shared a stand of 42 with Marizanne Kapp. Spirit then promoted both Charis Pavely and Katie George above the experienced Deandra Dottin in the batting order. Dottin, arriving late, cracked back-to-back fours to keep the chase alive — but Nicola Carey conceded only six runs off the final five balls, and Spirit finished three short on 119 for eight.

For Kerr, 25, the performance was a statement of intent in familiar surroundings. She spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with London Spirit before a year at Manchester Originals in 2025; now wearing MI London's colours, she returned to Lord's and delivered the innings that finally got her new side off the mark BBC Sport.

What gives this result its edge is the table. MI London's qualification hopes remain out of their hands. They need to win both remaining games comfortably and rely on other results falling their way BBC Sport. One win after five losses is a start, but the margin for error has long since closed.

For London Spirit, a three-run defeat at home stings in a format where a single misfield or wide can be the difference. Dean's five-ball blitz nearly won it. Kerr's finish did.