London Spirit vs Manchester Originals Prediction & Match Preview – The Hundred 2026

London Spirit and Manchester Originals meet at Lord’s on Thursday 23 July in the third match of The Hundred Men’s 2026. Spirit have a heavily changed squad and may need time to find their best XI, while the Manchester side look more settled.

Jonny Bairstow is expected to open for Spirit, possibly with Kiran Carlson, though Lhuan-dre Pretorius and James Rew are also options at the top. Jamie Smith, a useful opener for them in previous seasons, is not in the squad. Dewald Brevis is the main middle-order hope and Lord’s could suit his attacking style. Liam Livingstone, David Willey and Jamie Overton add all-round strength. The attack includes Tymal Mills, Adam Milne, Andrew Tye and leg-spinner Adam Zampa.

The Manchester team finished sixth last year, level with Spirit on wins and losses, and beat them comfortably in their latest meeting. Noor Ahmad, Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue bowled well in that game and have been kept, and Liam Dawson and all-rounder Gus Atkinson give further balance. Tim Seifert joins the batting and Aiden Markram takes over the captaincy, expected to open with Seifert, with Jos Buttler at three and Leus du Plooy and Heinrich Klaasen to follow. We pick the Manchester side to win.

Pitch report

Lord’s usually provides a fair contest in T20 cricket, with decent bounce and carry for batters once they are set. Fast bowlers can find swing and seam with the new ball in typical English conditions, though the surface improves for batting as the innings goes on and the outfield is quick. Spinners can have a say in the middle overs through changes of pace. A first-innings score of 160–175 is normally competitive.

Weather

Very good conditions are forecast for the 6:30 pm local start on 23 July, with temperatures of 24–25°C, partly cloudy skies and a very low chance of rain. Light winds may help seamers with the new ball, and dry weather should suit batters.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 150–165
• 2nd innings: 145–160

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