Birmingham Phoenix rose to the third position on the points table with a closely fought victory against Invincibles at the Oval. The win was massive in the context of the playoffs race, as it puts them on eight points, ahead of the other two teams in contention – Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles, both on six points from six games.
Will Smeed and Miles Hammond got Phoenix off to a flying start with a couple of sixes each before Moeen Ali unleashed himself. Moeen hammered four sixes in his knock of 42 off 25 before Sunil Narine had him caught at deep midwicket.
Liam Livingstone struggled to time the ball for the most of his innings but made up for it with some lusty blows against Sam Curran. He was on 22 off 24 at one stage, ending on 45 off 32. Matthew Wade hit 12-ball 21* as Phoenix posted 166/6 on the board. Narine was exceptional with the ball, picking 2 for 21 in his quota.
Chasing the target, Invincibles did not get any rhythm in the innings and were reduced to 99 for 5, with 68 required off 27. Tom Curran then blasted 30 in 12 balls to bring them back in the game. But Tom Helm removed Tom and Sam (30 off 20) in the 18th set to swing the game in Phoenix’s favour. Helm conceded just 11 runs in 20 balls and claimed three scalps, while Kane Richardson picked 3 for 22.
In the women’s competition, Invincibles ended the three-match unbeaten streak of Birmingham Phoenix and moved to second place. Invincibles bowlers were outstanding, with Alice Capsey being the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 15 in 20 balls.
They restricted the strong Phoenix line-up to just 106/7. Lauren Winfield-Hill scored 41* off 38, while Dane van Niekerk, who came in for injured Marizanne Kapp, made unbeaten 21 to take the side home with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.
