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Eoin Morgan, former England captain, has shared his predictions for the champions of The Hundred 2024, which has just kicked off its fourth edition this week.
In the tournament’s opening match on Tuesday (July 23), the Oval Invincibles faced off against Birmingham Phoenix in both the men’s and women’s categories. The men’s match saw a dominant performance by the Oval Invincibles, who cruised to an 8-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix.
Batting first, Birmingham Phoenix were dismissed for just 89 runs from 81 balls, with only three players managing to reach double figures. Opener Rishi Patel led the scoring for his team with 25 runs off 24 balls, while Jacob Bethell (22) and Benny Howell (24) also contributed decently to the total.
Apart from them, the rest of Birmingham Phoenix’s batting lineup struggled, with five players managing just 1 run each and two others getting dismissed for ducks. Adam Zampa led the bowling attack for Oval Invincibles, taking 3 wickets for 11 runs, while Mohammad Amir, Saqib Mahmood, and Will Jacks contributed with 2 wickets each.
In response, Oval Invincibles comfortably chased down the target in 69 deliveries with 8 wickets remaining. Captain Sam Billings anchored the innings with an unbeaten 31, supported by Dawid Malan (24) and Tawanda Muyeye (23) who played crucial roles in the victory.
Turning to the women’s fixture, the Invincibles dominated Birmingham Phoenix, winning by a margin of 45 runs. Opting to bat first, the Invincibles posted a formidable total of 150 for 5 in their allotted 100 balls. Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey were the standout performers with the bat, scoring half-centuries: Scholfield made 71 runs from 40 balls, while Capsey contributed 52 off 40 deliveries.
In reply, Birmingham Phoenix struggled and were bowled out for 105 runs in 92 balls. Apart from Amy Jones, who scored 21 runs, none of the other Birmingham batters could reach the 20-run mark as the Invincibles cruised to a comfortable victory. Amanda-Jade Wellington starred with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 9 runs.
Eoin Morgan selects his favorites.
As The Hundred 2024 kicks off this week, Eoin Morgan has already singled out his top picks for victory. On Sky Sports, the former England captain confidently endorsed Southern Brave to retain their title in the women’s Hundred. In the men’s competition, however, Morgan made a surprising choice by favoring London Spirits over the defending champions Oval Invincibles.
“My team that I’ll tip this year in the women’s Hundred is the Southern Brave, the defending champions. The first two years, it went to the Oval Invincibles, I believe the title this year will be defended yet again,” said Eoin Morgan.
“In the men’s Hundred, I am backing the men at Lord’s, the London Spirit. Been to the qualifiers once and missed out. So they are due, with the quality of players that they have. The likes of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope as an addition and the powerhouse from Jamaica, Andre Russell,” he added.
