The Hundred Men’s 2024 Points Table: Updated Standings after Birmingham Phoenix vs Oval Invincibles, Match 1

Oval Invincibles started the Hundred Men’s 2024 with a win and climbed to the top of the points table. On Tuesday, July 23, they defeated Birmingham Phoenix by eight wickets at the Kennington Oval in London. The team, led by Sam Billings, garnered two points, and have a net run rate of +2.289.

Birmingham Phoenix, on the other hand, did not get off to the start that they wanted to. Moeen Ali’s men could not put up much of a fight and slumped to a defeat. They will be looking to make amends as they face London Spirit in their second game on Saturday, July 27, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

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Bowlers give Oval Invincibles win against Phoenix

After opting to bat first in seaming conditions, the Phoenix could never get going and were bowled out for 89 in 81 balls. Saqib Mahmood and Mohammad Amir wreaked havoc at the top and reduced their opponents to 10 for four in 17 balls. Liam Livingstone failed to open his account while skipper Moeen departed after scoring one run off four balls.

Jacob Bethell and Ben Howell tried to stabilize the innings by scoring 22 and 24 runs respectively, but their efforts were not enough for the Phoenix to post a respectable score on the board. After Amir and Mahmood made the early inroads, it was Adam Zampa's turn to trouble the Phoenix batters.

Zampa picked up three wickets for 11 runs and bowled at a rate of 0.55. Will Jacks also bowled well with two wickets to show for his efforts.

The run-chase turned out to be straightforward for the Invincibles. Dawid Malan, Tawanda Muyeye, and Sam Billings scored 24, 23, and 31, respectively. Their team chased down the target with 31 balls left in their innings. Sam Billings hit Dan Mousley for a four and scored the winning runs for his side.