The Hundred: Defending champions Oval Invincibles crush Birmingham Phoenix in men’s tournament opener | Cricket News

Defending men’s champions Oval Invincibles beat Birmingham Phoenix by eight wickets in the opening match of The Hundred at the Kia Oval.

The Invincibles were left with just 90 runs to win after the Phoenix collapsed to 89 all out from 81 balls.

The home side chased down the low target with 31 balls remaining thanks to an unbeaten 62-run partnership between captain Sam Billings (31 not out) and Dawid Malan, who scored 24 not out on his debut for the Invincibles following his transfer from Trent Rockets.

Phoenix, who won the toss and elected to bat, endured a nightmare start to the match as they fell to 10-4 after just 17 balls as England batsmen Moeen Ali (1) and Liam Livingstone (0) got away cheaply.

Spinner Adam Zampa shone with the ball for the Invincibles as they took 3-11, with his three wickets coming in just seven balls at the end of a dismal Phoenix innings.

Only three batters hit double figures for the visitors, who posted the lowest score at The Oval in The Hundred.

The Invincibles suffered an early setback in their chase when England batter Will Jacks (6) hit behind off Tim Southee.

But any threat of an unlikely Phoenix comeback was thwarted by Tawanda Muyeye’s quick 23 and then a superb partnership between Billings and Malan to guide the Invincibles safely home.

This comfortable victory ensured a double pleasure for the Invincibles after The women’s team had won their first match earlier against the Phoenix by 45 runs.

Player of the match – Adam Zampa (Oval Invincibles)

Zampa was named Player of the Match for his part in the Phoenix defeat, with the Australian taking three wickets from his 20 deliveries, including 10 dot balls.

He said: “(It was) not really a turning wicket to be honest. I like bowling here because it slips a bit and if you do it well it can be difficult to bat.

“I tried to attack the stumps as much as possible today, and it worked.

“It’s obviously nice to start like this (with a win), especially at home, following on from our success from last year, so it’s a good feeling again and it’s great to be in the winner’s circle straight away.”

Morgan: Timing not right for white ball role in England

Eoin Morgan said Sky Sports “The timing is not right” for him to potentially take over as England national football team head coach.

Speaking on The Hundred’s Tuesday coverage of Sky Sports CricketWorld Cup-winning captain Morgan was asked if he would be interested in potentially taking over, with The temperature reports that current head coach Matthew Mott is set to leave.

“I’ve been asked a lot over the last few months about this role and whether I would take it. My response has simply been that the timing of everything in my life at the moment is not right,” Morgan told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“Yes, I want to coach later, but I have a young family and I spend a lot more time at home. I enjoy what I do, watching cricket through it.

“And this news is news to me. It’s not nice to see a coach being criticized and to see his future the subject of much speculation. Only time will tell what will happen.”

And after?

The Hundred continues on Wednesday as Brave of the South take charge Spirit of London.

The women’s match is live on Sky Sports Cricket from 2:30pm with a game starting from 3pm, while you can also stream via the Sky Sports application and on YoutubeThe Braves are the reigning champions of the women’s competition.

The men’s clash will then be broadcast live from 6:00 p.m. before the match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. The Braves won the men’s competition in the inaugural 2021 season in 2021.

Sky Sports will be showing all 68 matches of The Hundred live this summer, while you can also watch selected matches from The Hundred on the Sky Sports App and YouTube. Stream The Hundred and more with NOW