The Hundred | Defending champions Oval go off the mark as bowling mastery outskilled Birmingham

07/24/2024

Defending Champions Oval Invicibles beat the Birmingham Phoenix by eight wickets and 31 balls remaining in the Men’s Hundred curtain raiser. A threatening new-ball spell followed by Adam Zampa’s three-fer and Will Jack’s breakthroughs set up an easy total to chase for the Sam Billings-led army.

Amidst the Test match fever in England, a packed Oval eagerly awaited the first game of The Hundred between Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix. The Phoenix skipper Moeen Ali won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision didn't quite pay off as Aneurin Donald and Liam Livingstone departed within ten balls. The worry doubled when Dan Mousley and Ali fell prey to the vicious new ball spell from Saqib Mahmood and Mohammad Amir. While Jacob Bethall and Benny Howell tried to stabilize the stage with mini partnerships with Rishi Patel, the introduction of spin spoiled their intent. Will Jacks and Adam Zampa wreaked havoc in their middle and lower order, reducing bundling them to 89 from 77/5 in a span of 17 deliveries.

The lateral movement off the surface persisted at the start of the second innings and Tim Southee made the most of it by outwitting Will Jacks in the second set. However, Tawanda Muyeye counter-attacked the opposition bowlers with a 14-ball 23 before the Kiwi veteran returned to get his number on the 16th ball. Subsequently, Dawid Malan and Sam Billings opted for a measured approach, The pair switched gears ninth set with Malan smacking consecutive fours in the tenth set and Billings joining in with a couple of fours and a six in the 12th set, curtailing the equation to eight needed off 35 balls. Although it took them ten balls to surmount the 90-run mark, a comprehensive win helped the hosts go off the mark in style.

World class

WORLD CLASS AMIR 👑

A Sensational Display of Elite Fast Bowling by Mohammad Amir in The Hundred tournament today for his team . Amir Took 2/7 in 15 balls and bowled 10 Dots. Took the Important wkts of Captain MOEEN ALI and DAN MOUSLEY 🔥👑❤️…
— Waqar Ahmed Afridi (@RealWaqarAfridi)

Just wow!

Wow! Oval Invincibles sold out for the season in the Hundred. 👏🏻👏🏻 Mad how people want to see fireworks for 3-4 hours, and a result, when you can watch for 5 DAYS and it could be a draw. 🤷🏻‍♂️😴🏏
— Barrie Stimpson (@stimmo64)

The best

Mohammad Amir conceded only 7 runs in his 15 balls - the fewest among all bowlers. What an effort by him and defending champions Oval Invincibles 🇵🇰🔥🔥
— Apex Sports (#BA56) (@NewsSports_35)

Lovely

Oval Invincibles v Birmingham Phoenix
— Ed Drake (@Drakeosaurus)

Absolutetly poor

Oval Invincibles got out at 89 runs. Very poor start by them and it’s a poor start of The Hundred tournament.
— Jabbar Chaudhary (@Jabbar_Ch_)

Another one

Another tough season of being a Birmingham Phoenix fan 🫣
— Nicole (@nicoleami96)

Good question

Who is running these Birmingham Phoenix teams? Both teams are getting progressively worse and they just keep trotting out the same players every year who fail..
— Philip (@republic1)

True