S Poddar
In a commanding display, the Oval Invincibles started their defense of The Hundred men’s competition with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix at the Kia Oval.
Birmingham Phoenix struggled early, collapsing to 10-4 after just 17 balls, with poor shot selection leading to Saqib Mahmood and Mohammad Amir each taking two wickets. Rishi Patel, Benny Howell, and Jacob Bethell were the only batters to reach double figures, contributing 25, 24, and 22 runs respectively. Despite their efforts, the Phoenix were bowled out for just 89, with 19 balls remaining, as Adam Zampa led the Invincibles’ attack with impressive figures of 3-11.
The Invincibles’ chase began positively with Tawanda Muyeye scoring a brisk 24. Though both he and Will Jacks were dismissed by Tim Southee, who claimed 2-20, the Phoenix could not halt the momentum. Invincibles captain Sam Billings and opener Dawid Malan finished the job comfortably, remaining unbeaten on 31 and 24.
The victory marked the Invincibles’ first win against the Phoenix in The Hundred, breaking a streak of three consecutive losses. Key moments included the dismissals of England’s Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone for one and zero, respectively, during the early collapse. Mahmood and Amir’s early breakthroughs were crucial, while Sam Curran, though wicketless, contributed with a spectacular catch to dismiss Livingstone.
Phoenix’s total of 89 was the fifth-lowest in the history of The Hundred men’s competition, adding another low score to their record, which includes the lowest ever total of 75 against Manchester Originals in 2022.
