Dropped from England’s white-ball squads earlier this year, Liam Livingstone roared back into the spotlight with a blistering unbeaten 69 off 27 balls, guiding Birmingham Phoenix to a thrilling chase of 181 against defending champions Oval Invincibles at Edgbaston.
Very special, we needed it. They’re a great team, won it two years in a row. Nice to get one over them and hopefully give us some momentum. I back myself — if bowlers miss, I can hit, and thankfully it came off.
Rashid Khan’s worst night in The Hundred
Livingstone’s biggest statement came at the expense of Rashid Khan. In the Afghan superstar’s final set, the Phoenix skipper launched three towering sixes and took 26 runs, condemning Rashid to figures of 0-59 from 20 balls — the worst ever in the men’s Hundred.
It’s nice to lead from the front. I was trying to be there at the end — something I haven’t done a lot in my career — but we still needed to take some risks. Hopefully this gives us confidence going forward.
Phoenix, who had lost their first two matches, also owed much to Will Smeed’s composed 51. Saqib Mahmood’s two wickets in two balls set up a tense finale before Benny Howell drove the winning boundary with two balls to spare.
Ferreira fireworks can’t save Invincibles
Earlier, the Invincibles recovered from 114-5 to post 180-8 thanks to Donovan Ferreira’s blistering 63 off 29 balls. But it wasn’t enough to stop Phoenix from getting their season underway with a vital win.
It’s massive. There’s no hiding in this competition. If you lose a couple of games, you’re right up against it. It’s nice to be on the board.
Capsey rediscovers her spark
In the women’s fixture, Alice Capsey struck her first half-century in 10 innings of The Hundred to steer Oval Invincibles to a 22-run win — their first victory this season. Her 29-ball 52, following a 76-run opening stand between Meg Lanning (36) and Lauren Winfield-Hill (33), lifted the Invincibles to a record 174-5.
It’s nice to get a win on the board after two close losses. The openers were brilliant… it made my job easy — just keep the momentum going. We bat so deep we can take more calculated risks.
Wellington’s magic touch seals it
Defending 175, Amanda-Jade Wellington turned the match with both hands and ball. She produced a juggling catch to dismiss Georgia Voll, a no-look underarm flick to run out Emma Lamb, and took the key wickets of Marie Kelly and Ellyse Perry (29). Phoenix finished 152-6.
