*THE HUNDRED MENS COMPETITION MATCH 19 2023- BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX VS OVAL INVINCIBLES PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
Birmingham Phoenix are coming off a 6-wicket loss to Welsh Fire. After opting to bat first at Edgbaston, they could only post 112-7 on the board. In response, Welsh Fire got to the target in just 85 balls. Birmingham was led down by their batting again, with Liam Livingstone’s 28 off 20 deliveries being the top score of the innings.
On the other hand, Oval Invincibles secured a victory in their last match against Northern Superchargers by 9 runs. The standout performers for OVI in that game were Jordan Cox, who showcased his batting skills with a remarkable 73 runs off 38 balls, and Heinrich Klaassen, who contributed a quickfire 46 runs off just 22 balls. In the bowling department, Gus Atkinson claimed 3 wickets, while Sam Curran impressed with 2 wickets
The pitch at Edgbaston offers a good amount of assistance to the bowlers. The batters will have to be patient early in their innings as the new ball bowlers will get some good movement with the new ball. Once set, they can play their strokes freely. This makes bowlers like Milne and Spencer Johnson from either sides of the table extremely threatening, they could really take the game away with little offerings from the surface at hand. Players who are technically solid like Duckett, Livingstone and from the Invincibles- Will Jacks and Klaasen would be kept a close eye on.
*OVAL INVINCIBLES PROBABLE XI:*
Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Heinrich Klaasen, Sam Curran, Jordan Cox, Sam Billings (c & wk), Ross Whiteley, Sunil Narine, Gus Atkinson, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Sowter
Apart from Sam and Tom Curran, who have both taken 3 wickets each, Gus Atkinson has been the most consistent bowler for Oval this year, bagging 9 wickets in just 4 matches at an economy of 7.78. The Invincibles also have Sunil Narine to rely on. The crafty off-spinner has gone at an economy of just 6.88 while also taking 6 wickets. He will be the main threat for Birmingham’s batters during the middle overs. The mystery of Narine has faded over the years but he has still retained his bowling style to overcome the threat of batters. The wicket is a nice one to bat on upon settling down but I doubt the Caribbean spinner would allow anybody to settle down.
With a bowling lineup of the Birmingham struggling to hit the right straps, the batting group of the Oval Invincibles could become even more dangerous. They are power packed with a touch of grace and this is exactly what makes them a thing of beauty. A dynamic opening duo followed by the hard hitting prowess of the protea and as we do further down, there comes enough room for stability. They’d be eyeing an assault.
*BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX PROBABLE XI:*
Will Smeed, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Dan Mousley, Shadab Khan, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Tom Helm, Kane Richardson
The bat needs to talk big time for the Phoenix. Their mediocre show despite producing some of the finest talents up the order is a matter of concern and special performances starting from tomorrow are the need of the hour. I expect Duckett to get going tomorrow and make it look easy to the naked eye again with Livingstone taking hold of the proceedings from the final end in the slog overs.
Benny Howell out of the rest of his teammates has stayed firm and has stuck to the right lengths. He has found the right rhythm in order to exploit the conditions and would be hoping to do more of this from tomorrow. The others, barring Moeen with his off-spin, have been leaking runs regularly, with Adam Milne and Tom Helm both going at an economy of over 11, they would love to horn their skills before the business end of the tournament begins.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR BIRMINGHAM:*
Highest run getter- Ben Duckett/Liam Livingstone
Highest wicket taker- Benny Howell/Adam Milne
*FOR INVINCIBLES:*
Highest run getter- Heinrich Klaasen/Will Jacks
Highest wicket taker- Sunil Narine/Spencer
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Oval Invincibles to win this game.