‘What a win for the Phoenix’ -Twitter thrilled as Birmingham Phoenix seal a thriller against Oval Invincibles
he Match took place in the Kennington Oval
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Aug 24, 2022 1:25 pm
The Hundred Match 23 (Source: Twitter)
The 23rd Match of the Hundred kicked off with the Oval Invincibles locking horns against the Birmingham Phoenix at the Kennington Oval. The coin went the way of the Oval Invincibles who elected to bowl first. Birmingham took the first strike, the young sensation Will Smeed this time around could not repeat his previous heroics in the tournament. He looked good while scoring 23 in13 balls which had 2 fours and 2 sixes but perished to Mohammad Hasnain in the process.
M Hammond looked threatening as well but his stay was short-lived as fell victim to Sunil Narine. He hit one boundary and two maximums in his 17-runs-innings.
Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone came in and played like two heavyweight champions by playing quick and impactful cameos to restore the initiative with the Birmingham Phoenix. They scored 42 and 45 respectively off 25 and 32 deliveries. Ali and Livingstone were in full swing as they whacked the bowlers without any mercy. They smashed 4 sixes each in their innings and made the Oval invincibles attack look, pedestrian.
Mathew Wade came in and whacked a few good blows at the end to get a quickfire 21 off 12 balls which consisted of 2 fours and a maximum. This allowed the Birmingham Phoenix to get to a competitive total of 166 in their allotted hundred balls.
As for the Invincibles bowlers, Narine was as sublime as always picking 2 wickets for 21 runs and M Milnes scalped 3 for 32 runs in their 20-ball spells. Mohammed Hasnain picked up 1 wicket for 25 runs in his 15-ball spell.
The Oval Invincibles in the second innings could not get going as Jason Roy, Will Jacks, and Rossouw departed quickly. The Match was in a precarious situation for the Oval Invincibles at 99-5 when Sam Billings was dismissed. But a good cameo from Tom Curran who hit 3 sixes and 3 fours brought the Invincibles back into the game. In the end, a quick 11-run-knock from Mohammed Hasnain was not enough to fetch victory for the Invincibles. The Phoenix won the encounter by just 10 runs.
The famed Phoenix bowling attack put up a fine display yet again, Kane Richardson and Tom Helm picked up 3 wickets each for 22 and 11 runs respectively in their 20-ball spells. Harry Brookes and Benny Howell were expensive in their 20-ball spells but picked up a wicket each.
Twitter was abuzz with reactions on the exciting game. Let’s take a look at the reactions here-
Another tough night for #ovalinvincibles that will make qualifying for the playoffs hard now. Once again let down by the top order. Roy’s struggles continue and Roussow has had a disappointing tournament to date. At least the women are still getting the job done. #TheHundredpic.twitter.com/gCpY1ibt8F
I interrupt your twitter stream to bring you a Kane Richardson appreciation post. 3 wickets, 2 catches, man of the match, and now joint second highest wicket taker in #TheHundred. Another great night for him and Birmingham Phoenix. I don't want this tournament to end! 🧡🏏 pic.twitter.com/Tfykz4skJu
Australian paceman Kane Richardson has pushed his case for T20 World Cup selection with another Player of the Match performance in The Hundred, claiming 3/22 against the Oval Invincibles in London: https://t.co/ayJyAB4cdh#TheHundred@newscomauHQ
