The Hundred: Defending champions Oval Invincibles beat Birmingham Phoenix in opening men's tournament | Cricket News

The Oval Invincibles, the men's champions, won the Hundred season opener by eight wickets against Birmingham Phoenix at Kia Oval.

Phoenix scored 89 runs from 81 balls, giving the Invincibles a 90-run win.

The home side reached the low target with 31 balls remaining thanks to the unbeaten partnership of captain Sam Billings (31 points) and David Malan, who scored 24 points on his debut for the Unbeatens after joining from Trent Rockets.

Phoenix got off to a nightmare start when they came to the plate with a coin toss, trailing 10-4 after just 17 balls as England batsmen Moin Ali (1) and Liam Livingstone (0) got cheap turns at the plate.

Spinner Adam Zampa was the star performer for the Invincibles in the latter stages of Phoenix's miserable innings, taking three wickets from just seven balls and taking figures of 3-11.

Only three batsmen from the away team scored in double figures, the lowest total in The Hundred at The Oval.

The undefeated team suffered an early setback in their pursuit as England batsman Will Jacks (6) pulled Team Saudi back.

But Phoenix's improbable comeback threat was thwarted by a quick-fire 23-point performance from Tawanda Mujeye and a superb partnership between Billings and Malan.

The comfortable win gave the Invincibles a double whammy, having already won their opening game against Phoenix by 45 points.

Man of the Match – Adam Zampa (Oval Invincibles)

Zampa was named man of the match for his contribution to the Phoenix demolition, with the Australian picking up three wickets from 20 deliveries, 10 of which were dot balls.

He said: “To be honest, it wasn't a spinning wicket. I enjoy bowling here, it's a bit slippery and if you hit it right it can be difficult to hit.

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

“It's definitely good to start like this, especially at home to build on last year's success, so it's nice to be back and get straight into the winner's circle.”

Morgan: Timing is off for England white-ball role

Eoin Morgan said: Sky Sports Some say it is “not the right time” for him to take over as England manager.

He spoke during a news conference for The Hundred on Tuesday. Sky Sports CricketWe asked World Cup winning captain Morgan if he could take on the job. The Times Current manager Matthew Mott is reported to be leaving the team.

“A lot of people have asked me over the last few months about this role and whether I would take it on. My answer is simply that the timing of everything in my life just isn’t right at the moment,” Morgan told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“Yes, I would like to coach later on, but I have a young family so I spend more time at home. I love what I do and it is through this that I see cricket.

“And this news is news to me. It's not good for a coach to be criticized and there's so much speculation about his future. Only time will tell what happens.”

What are your future plans?

The Hundred continues on Wednesday. Brave of the day Take responsibility for ~ The spirit of London.

The women's game will be broadcast live Sky Sports Cricket Play begins at 2:30 PM – 3 PM and can be streamed via: Sky Sports App and turn on youtube. Brave defends title in women's competition.

The men's game will be live streamed from 6 p.m. prior to kickoff, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. The Braves won the men's game in the opening season of 2021.

Sky Sports will show all 68 of The Hundred’s matches live this summer, with selected matches from The Hundred also available on the Sky Sports app and YouTube. Stream The Hundred and more on NOW