93/2 (13.4)
CR : 6.80
89/10 (16.1)
CR : 5.51
Oval Invincibles won by 8 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Adam Zampa
3/11
OI won by 8 wickets
1:10 AM IST, 8:40 PM Local Time: The defending champions continue the winning run in the new season as well stamping an 8-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix in the Men's Hundred season opener at The Oval. It is also the first time Invincibles have defeated Phoenix in the tournament's history.
Moeen Ali won the toss for Phoenix and decided to bat first with his counterpart Sam Billings indicating he would bowl. The latter proved effective as Mohammad Amir (2/7), Saqib Mahmood (2/25) and Adam Zampa (3/11) helped bundle the Phoenix out for 89 in just 81 balls.
Tim Southee struck early for Phoenix to send Will Jacks packing for 6 in 7 balls. Tawanda Muyeye struck 4 boundaries in his 23 off 14 deliveries. Southee returning in his second spell got rid of Muyeye as well but no other Phoenix bowler could create an impact as Dawid Malan who didn't face a ball in the first 20 joined forces with skipper Sam Billings (31* off 28) to add unbeaten 62 runs for the third wicket to take the Invincibles to a comfortable win.
Besides Southee (2/20) only Sean Abbott did well to keep the scoring rate in check conceding 11 runs in his 15 deliveries. Phoenix will next face London Spirit at Lord's this Saturday with the Invincibles facing Welsh Fire on Sunday.
Besides Southee (2/20) only Sean Abbott did well to keep the scoring rate in check conceding 11 runs in his 15 deliveries. Phoenix will next face London Spirit at Lord's this Saturday with the Invincibles facing Welsh Fire on Sunday.
Adam Zampa is the Hero of the Match.
Adam Zampa (Match Hero): "Nice to start with a victory at home, it is a good feeling and we are on the board straight away. I enjoy bowling here, it skids on a bit and if you get that right, it can be harder to hit and I tried to attack the stumps as much as I could.
Starting well here was really important, we have a lot of guys with experience and it's good to have that. I love playing the 100, once you play it's T20 cricket with a few tactical tweaks. When it's packed out and you have good atmosphere, it is a good place to be in."
Starting well here was really important, we have a lot of guys with experience and it's good to have that. I love playing the 100, once you play it's T20 cricket with a few tactical tweaks. When it's packed out and you have good atmosphere, it is a good place to be in."
Sam Billings (Oval Invincibles Captain): "I was very surprised to see Moeen decided to bat first. We wanted to bowl first and found it a little bit wet underneath and lots of grass there as well. The guys at Surrey like to chase when there is a fresh pitch here.
We've all been injured at different times. The resilience that Mahmood has to show back-to-back has been fantastic. He's a quality bowler, quality prospect so hopefully he can try to build on itself for the upcoming games.
It is probably like an Australian pitch where you have to play late. Zampa is quality. He wants to bowl the hard overs as well especially to the shorter side. He feels like an attacking option because people go across. He holds length so well so its really hard for the batters down the order to pick him. Don't be fooled by his looks. He knows every batsman as the back of his hand, he does his research and its all out there.
Spencer Johnson for Amir will be a straight swap. I think Spencer is on his way at the moment so real shame as Amir showed his quality yet again. Brilliant start with the ball and to be able to give him 10 balls in a row when the ball was swinging was quality.
We've all been injured at different times. The resilience that Mahmood has to show back-to-back has been fantastic. He's a quality bowler, quality prospect so hopefully he can try to build on itself for the upcoming games.
It is probably like an Australian pitch where you have to play late. Zampa is quality. He wants to bowl the hard overs as well especially to the shorter side. He feels like an attacking option because people go across. He holds length so well so its really hard for the batters down the order to pick him. Don't be fooled by his looks. He knows every batsman as the back of his hand, he does his research and its all out there.
Spencer Johnson for Amir will be a straight swap. I think Spencer is on his way at the moment so real shame as Amir showed his quality yet again. Brilliant start with the ball and to be able to give him 10 balls in a row when the ball was swinging was quality.
That's it from our coverage of the opening fixture in the Men's Hundred ball competition. Oval Invincibles continuing their winning run from last season. Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Anirudh Modi and scorer Paras Yadav. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world.