Oval Invincible 93 for 2 (Billings 31) beat Birmingham Phoenix 89 ( Tampa 3 –11) by eight Wickets Defending titleholders Oval Invincibles to palm under the lights at The Kia Oval as the fourth time of The Hundred got underway with two triumphs out of two for the men's and women's South London platoon. The Invincible space brace of Sahib Mahmood and Mohammad Amir ripped the heart out of Birmingham Phoenix's first-innings trouble, after captain Moeen Ali won the toss and decided to club, reducing them to 10 for 4 after just 17 balls. Amir and Mahmood took two lattices all, a welcome return to action from injury for England's Mahmood who last played a game in the Hundred nearly three times alone


in 2021. After Amanda-Jade Wellington took 3 for 9 for Oval Invincible women's platoon in the day's first game, another Australian leg-incentive in the shape of Adam Tampa replicated her success, sinking his way to numbers of 3 for 11. The swish Jacob Bothell and buccaneering Benny Howell did their stylish to repair the top-order damage for Phoenix, but their eventual aggregate of 89 would have been under-par on any surface and noway looked enough. In reply, Invincible were unused and slow-stepping their way to an eight-gate palm with 31 balls left. Captain Sam Billings added some late hitting, after Lawanda Maya had given the crowd of 23,621 a regard of his gift with a 14- ball 23, to make it the perfect launch for both Oval Invincible brigades.