There could be a Trent Rockets double and a Sam Billings four-peat at Lord’s on Sunday as the 2026 edition of The Hundred draws to a close.

Rockets’ men’s and women’s sides advanced directly to the finals after topping their respective tables during the group phase, winning 13 of their combined 16 matches.

The Midlanders already have the Hundred Helix trophy sewn up – a new prize awarded to the best-performing franchise across the men’s and women’s competitions.

Now, though, Rockets, want to secure individual men’s and women’s glory, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix.

The women are up first at the Home of Cricket as they take on defending champions SunRisers Leeds from 2.15pm – SunRisers triumphed a year ago under their Northern Superchargers name – before the men play Manchester Super Giants from 6pm.

Rockets women have never won The Hundred before. In fact, this is their first final, after four group-stage exits and a defeat in the eliminator across the first five editions.

Rockets men, meanwhile, are one-time champions, prevailing in 2022 before their now-captain Billings began his love affair with this tournament and led Oval Invincibles to three successive Hundred titles, capped off with a win over Rockets in the 2025 final.

Billings ‘very proud’ of Hundred success

Invincibles let Billings go ahead of the auction as they began a new era under their MI London moniker, allowing Rockets to swoop for him. It has been an extremely shrewd acquisition, with Billings now on the brink of four in a row.

The Rockets skipper said: “It is impressive. It’s something I’m very proud of and to have the opportunity to win another one, albeit with a different team, is very pleasing. You want to be in this stage of the tournament every year so it’s not lost on me.

“The opportunity we have, I never take it for granted, playing here at the Home of Cricket. As a young kid growing up, you dream of occasions like this and playing at Lord’s. As you get older, you start to appreciate these things a little more, I suppose.

“I think we might be one of the oldest teams in the competition. We have a lot of guys who have played in finals before, been successful in finals. We have had brilliant energy throughout this competition.”

Billings’ opposite number on Sunday will be Jos Buttler, who has stepped up to captain Super Giants since South Africa’s Aiden Markram exited for personal reasons.

Buttler has stepped up with the bat, too – plundering 311 runs, including four fifties, and he cracked 33 off 20 balls in the eliminator win over SunRisers on Friday night.

Billings, whose side beat Super Giants by six wickets while amid a run of six straight wins during the group stage, said of his weekend opponents: “They’re a very good team.

“Jos [Buttler] is arguably the best white-ball player ever to represent England and the leading record run-scorer ever in T20 cricket. They’ve got a lot of variety in their side as well. But I think it’s all about us, to be honest.

“We topped the group. We beat them in Manchester, which definitely gives us confidence. We will absolutely respect them. But, as a team, winning the league stage gives us a lot of confidence. We’ve been the best team from a record point of view.”

Can Gibson’s SunRisers deny Gardner more Lord’s glory?

There will definitely be a triumphant England captain in the men’s final, either Billings or Buttler, and there could also be one in the women’s.

SunRisers’ Dani Gibson – one of only three English skippers in the women’s competition this term, alongside London Spirit’s Charlie Dean and MI London’s Hollie Armitage – will be hoping to get the better of Rockets’ Australian leader Ash Gardner.

Gibson was in the England team beaten by an Australian outfit containing Gardner in the Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s in July.

Gardner also has fellow 2026 World Cup winners Kim Garth and Beth Mooney with her at Rockets, although there are members of that victorious squad in the SunRisers’ ranks in Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland, the leading run-scorers in the women’s Hundred this term.

The performances throughout the competition have shown that it’s not the same people standing up every game. We’ve got a lot of experience and that really helps in a fast-paced format where you’re under pressure quickly. Players have stayed composed in those moments and we’ve also got people willing to take the game on.

Gardner said: “There are definitely some fantastic memories here at Lord’s. It’s nice coming back to the same dressing room and hopefully that brings some good energy. Having a few Australians in the side helps because we know what big occasions require.

“Sunday is a new game and a different challenge but there are plenty of positive memories to draw on and confidence in the things we’ve done well throughout the season.”

Gibson added of playing Rockets, who have England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt in their line-up: “They’ve got some great names but I think every team has great names. It’s just making sure that we prep well and play the conditions that we’re going to get here.

“Adapt quickly, communicate well and enjoy playing.”

Watch The Hundred finals, at Lord’s, live from 2pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix. The women’s match between Trent Rockets and SunRisers Leeds starts at 2.15pm with the men’s between Trent Rockets and Manchester Super Giants under way at 6pm. Stream cricket contract-free with NOW.

Pakistan warmed up for their first Test against England at Headingley from Wednesday with a seven-wicket win over a County Select XI as Saud Shakeel hit an unbeaten hundred and Imam-ul-Haq scored 80.

Set 262 to win on the third and final day in Beckenham, the tourists reached their target in 57.1 overs with England spinner Shoaib Bashir recording second-innings figures of 0-45 from eight overs after bagging 4-76 from 20.2 first time around.

Bashir is hoping to be included in the England XI in Leeds next week, live on Sky Sports, but the hosts could pick an all-pace frontline attack with the recalled Dan Lawrence, who will bat at No 6, and newly reappointed captain Joe Root providing the spin options.

Opening batter Emilio Gay and seam bowler Matt Fisher were the other members of the England Test squad, besides Bashir, to play in Beckenham, although the first two were released from duty on the final day.

Gay bagged a pair in the match as the home side made scores of 305 all out and 195 all out, while Fisher clubbed 62 not out from 53 balls in the hosts’ first innings before registering bowling figures of 1-15 from 11 overs in Pakistan’s opening knock of 238.

Who else impressed for Pakistan in Beckenham?

Pakistan’s top-scorer in their first innings was Abdullah Shafique (61), while highlights with the ball included a second-innings five-for for left-arm spinner Ali Usman.

The tourists suffered a scare on day two when captain Babar Azam retired hurt after being struck on the hand by a delivery from young Hampshire quick Manny Lumsden.

Babar was advised to rest for the remainder of the game but a PCB statement said he would train at Headingley on Monday.

The skipper said on Saturday after the win over the County Select XI: “It’s a very good preparation for us to prepare ourselves for the Test.

“The pitch was a bit challenging early on but it got better after a couple of days. We have to prepare ourselves for the game and it’s a great thing to go out and perform.

“I’m not sure what the conditions will be like in the first Test, but seeing here it’s slightly dry and the ball was turning as well. That pitch will have some bounce there.

“It will be slightly different [in Leeds]. We will be preparing accordingly. “

England vs Pakistan Test series fixtures

• First Test (Headingley) – Wednesday August 19 – Sunday August 23 (first ball 11am)
• Second Test (Lord’s) – Thursday August 27 – Monday August 31 (first ball 11am)
• Third Test (Edgbaston) – Wednesday September 9 – Sunday September 13 (first ball 11am)

Watch the three-Test series between England and Pakistan live on Sky Sports Cricket from Wednesday (11am first ball at Headingley). Stream cricket and more top sport contract-free with NOW.

Sheffield United and Birmingham made an underwhelming start to the Championship season as they played out a goalless draw at Bramall Lane.

Both sides have ambitions of mounting promotion challenges this campaign, but there was not too much to get excited about in this drab curtain-raiser where chances were at a premium.

Blades boss Chris Wilder and Birmingham counterpart Chris Davies will both be hoping to add some extra quality into the squads before the end of the month.

Optimism is always high at the start of a new season, but this was not a case of either side hitting the ground running as a tightly contested first half passed without either side managing a shot on target.

The only action of note in the opening 45 minutes was a flurry of action just before the half-hour as both teams enjoyed their best moments.

The Blades went first as Patrick Bamford hooked Femi Seriki’s deflected cross just wide.

Birmingham responded straight away and Alex Cochrane’s cross was perfect for Paik Seung-ho, but the South Korean could not get enough on his header and the chance passed.

Blues started the second half on the front foot and had a big moment in the 58th minute when Carlos Vicente was played through on goal, but his attempted pass was cut out by Japhet Tanganga when the better option was to shoot.

The visitors began to turn the screw and produced the first shot on target in the 62nd minute when Jay Stansfield’s low show was well kept out by Michael Cooper.

Cooper then had a more routine save as Stansfield tried an optimistic effort from distance.

Wilder’s side got through that tricky period and began to launch their own attempt to win the game.

Callum O’Hare sent Bamford clear into the area, but his shot was straight at Blues goalkeeper James Beadle, who saved with his feet.

Neither side showed the quality required to break the deadlock in an opening encounter which will be soon forgotten.

The managers

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder:

“For us, we turned the ball over too cheaply. I always thought it was going to be a game of moments where we had to find a bit of quality and we never found that quality that we were after. Out of possession, we were okay.

“A clean sheet is relatively important for us; we have to have something to build on. Overall, seven out of 10 for us; a lot of work to be done on the training pitch, trying to improve the team because we’re light in a couple of areas, but I’m sure we can work that one out.”

Birmingham boss Chris Davies:

“I think if anyone was going to win it, it would have been us. We were the better team actually in the game.

“I thought in terms of the chances, the momentum that we had, and the way we approached it, I said to the players, it’s often a feeling, and you look like a team that was really ready to compete.

“That first 10 minutes, the crowd’s going to be [on us] their first game of the season and everything else. But we got through that – there’s so much encouragement there for me because we’ve continued what we’ve been doing in the last several games, and we look a we look at team that’s there in every moment. That’s what we need to be.”

What the result means and next fixtures…