Liam Livingstone led from the front at Birmingham Edgbaston as his fiery unbeaten 69 off 27 balls fired Birmingham Phoenix to a nervy 4-wicket win with 2 balls to spare over defending champions Oval Invincibles. Liam Livingstone looked like a man possessed and determined and while he got a wicket with the only set he bowled, his main contribution was with bat in hand.
Batting first, defending champions Oval Invincibles rode on Donovan Ferreira’s 63 off 29 balls and Jordan Cox’s 44 off 30 balls to post a massive 180/8 in 100 balls with Trent Boult, Adam Milne and Benny Howell picking up 2 wickets apiece.
In reply, Will Smeed gave Birmingham a great start with his 51 off 29 balls while Joe Clarke scored 27 off 14 balls. But it was captain Liam Livingstone who stole the show with his unbeaten 69 off 27 balls that made sure that the hosts got over the line with 4 wickets and 2 balls to spare. Saqib Mahmood picked up 3/28 in 13 balls but wasn’t enough to stop the onslaught as Phoenix won the game.
Donovan Ferreira, Jordan Cox power Oval Invincibles to 180/8
Put into bat first, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye came out to open for Oval Invincibles while Trent Boult had ball in hand for Birmingham Phoenix. Boult got a perfect start removing Jacks for a silver duck. Boult bowled full delivery swinging in, Jacks walked down the track and drilled it to mid-off where Liam Livingstone took the catch easily. Jordan Cox came out to bat next. Adam Milne bowled the next set and Cox launched him over deep square leg for the maximum.
Muyeye managed to get a lucky boundary away off Boult but Boult hit back getting rid of Muyeye for 5 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name. Boult bowled a length delivery angling in from around the wicket, Muyeye looked to work it to the leg side but missed it as the ball hits the stumps. Sam Curran came out to bat next. Curran managed to get a boundary away off Boult. Tim Southee came to bowl the last set of powerplay and he was greeted with a boundary by Jordan Cox. Sam Curran also got a boundary away off Southee.
After 25 balls of powerplay, Oval Invincibles were 31/2. Adam Milne came back and struck for his side getting rid of Sam Curran for 14 off 9 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. Milne bowled short on the body, Curran looked to pull but he got a top edge to the keeper who made no mistake. Captain Sam Billings came to the crease next and got off the mark with a lucky boundary. Benny Howell was introduced into the attack and he bowled a tidy set.
Jacob Bethell was introduced into the attack and was greeted with a boundary from Jordan Cox. Cox hit another boundary off Bethell in the same set. Cox then launched Southee over backward square leg. Milne bowled a tight 10th set and at the halfway stage of the innings, Oval Invincibles were 70/3 in 50 balls. Captain Liam Livingstone came into the attack and was hit for a maximum by Sam Billings his opposite number. But Livingstone hit back getting rid of his opposite number Billings for 17 off 10 balls with one four and one six to his name.
Livingstone bowled full on middle and leg stump. Billings got down on his knee to play a slog sweep but ended up to edging it to deep midwicket where the fielder jogged into take a simple catch. Jacob Bethell with the catch. Donovan Ferreira came out to bat next and he got off the mark straightaway. Ferreira took the attack to Howell hitting him for a boundary and a maximum. Jordan Cox was dropped by the keeper Joe Clarke off Tim Southee. Ferreira added insult to injury by hitting a boundary followed by the maximum off Southee as the 100 came up for the visitors in 65 balls.
Trent Boult came back into the attack as Ferreira got a lucky boundary against him. Dan Mousley came into the attack and got rid of Jordan Cox for 44 off 30 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Mousley bowled it full outside leg stump, Cox looked to go big but skied it towards deep midwicket where the ball hung in there for a while. Jacob Bethell maintained his composure to dive to his left and take the catch. Tom Curran came out to bat next. After 75 balls, Oval Invincibles were 116/5.
Ferreira was on the attack as he hit Mousley for a boundary followed by a maximum as he was well set in the middle. Milne came back and got rid of Tom Curran for 2 off 3 balls. Milne bowled a length delivery outside off, Curran wanted to drive it through the covers but he got a feather edge to the keeper Clarke who took the catch. Rashid Khan came out to bat next. He made his intentions clear by striking a maximum over backward square leg to get off the mark. Rashid hit Tim Southee for a maximum as well to have some fun.
Mousley gave away 5 wides to the batting side before Ferreira launched him over deep midwicket for the maximum to get to his fifty in 24 balls. Ferreira hit another maximum off Mousley while the bowler gifted another 5 wides to the batting side. Ferreira hit Howell over wide long-on for the maximum but Howell hit back getting rid of Ferreira for 63 off 29 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes to his name.
Howell bowled it short outside off, Ferreira wants to pull but he top edged it to deep midwicket where Jacob Bethell dashed forward and took a solid catch. Nathan Sowter came to the crease and got off the mark. Howell got another one as Rashid fell off the final ball of the innings for 16 off 9 balls with 2 sixes to his name. Howell bowled a short of a length angling in delivery, Rashid whipped it straight down the throat of Will Smeed at deep backward square leg. Oval Invincibles finished with 180/8 in 100 balls with Sowter remaining unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 18 extras given by the fielding side.
Trent Boult picked up 2/20 in 20 balls while Adam Milne picked up 2/28 in 20 balls. Benny Howell bowled well for his 2/26 in 15 balls. Liam Livingstone chipped in with 1/9 in 5 balls while Dan Mousley picked up a wicket but went for 39 runs in 15 balls. Tim Southee conceded 42 runs in 20 balls while Jacob Bethell’s 5 balls went for 13 runs. It meant Birmingham Phoenix needed 181 runs off 100 balls to register their first win this season.
Liam Livingstone’s fiery knock takes Birmingham Phoenix over the line
Chasing 181 for the win, Will Smeed and Ben Duckett walked out to open the innings while Jason Behrendorff had ball in hand for Oval Invincibles. Behrendorff started with a decent first set. He bowled the next set as well giving hardly anything away. Saqib Mahmood came into the attack as Ben Duckett hit him for a boundary to break the shackles. But Mahmood hit back getting rid of Duckett for 7 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name. Mahmood bowled it full and straight at the stumps right in the block hole, Duckett without any footwork looked to flick it away on the leg side and got beaten on the inside edge as the ball rattled the stumps. Joe Clarke came out to bat next.
Clarke got into the act hitting consecutive boundaries off Jason Behrendorff. Mahmood came to bowl the final set of powerplay and was taken to the cleaners by Will Smeed as the batter hit Jason for a boundary followed by consecutive sixes to end the powerplay. At the end of 25 balls of powerplay, Birmingham Phoenix were 38/1. Rashid Khan was introduced into the attack after the powerplay.
Smeed took advantage of a poor ball and smashed Rashid for a maximum over deep midwicket. Nathan Sowter came into the attack next as spinners took over and bowled a tidy first set. Clarke then took the attack to Rashid by hitting him for two maximums in 3 balls as the 50-run stand came up between the duo. Smeed hit another boundary off Rashid. Sam Curran was introduced into the attack and he was dispatched by Smeed for a maximum over deep midwicket. But Sam hit back getting rid of Joe Clarke for 27 off 14 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Sam bowled full and wide outside off, Clarke spread himself and sliced it away aerially on the off-side. Rashid Khan at deep cover point ran to his right and dived full length to take a stunning catch with both hands. Captain Liam Livingstone walked out to bat next. Tom Curran was introduced into the attack. Smeed hit Tom Curran for two boundaries in the last 3 balls. After 50 balls at the halfway stage of the chase, Birmingham Phoenix were 82/2 and required 99 more off the back 50 balls.
Livingstone hit Sowter for a boundary down the ground while Smeed hit him for a boundary to get to his fifty in 28 balls. But Sowter hit back as he got rid of Smeed for 51 off 29 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Sowter bowled it flatter around leg, pitches and skids through the surface. Smeed rocked back and looked to tuck it away on the leg side. He got beaten on the inside edge. The ball deflected off his back pad and crashed onto the stumps. Jacob Bethell came out to bat next and got off the mark.
Livingstone then tickled Rashid Khan for a boundary through fine leg. Birmingham Phoenix brought up their 100 in 60 balls. Livingstone hit Sam Curran for a boundary as Rashid Khan misfielded which was a rare sight on a cricket field. Bethell hit Tom Curran for a boundary as Saqib Mahmood misfielded. But Tom hit back getting rid of Bethell for 8 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name. Length ball around off from Tom, Bethell looked to smash it straight downtown but mistimed it from the toe end of his blade. Will Jacks at long-off settled underneath it to take the catch. Dan Mousley came out to the middle next and got off the mark as well.
Livingstone hit Sowter for a boundary through covers. After 75 balls, Birmingham Phoenix were 120/4 and needed a further 61 runs off 25 balls. Liam Livingstone then massacred Rashid Khan as he smashed him for a boundary followed by a hat-trick of sixes and ended the set with another boundary as 26 runs came off those 5 balls off Rashid. Sam Curran hit back by bowling a tight set as the equation came down to 30 off 15 balls.
Mousley joined the party as he hit Sam Curran for a maximum over wide long-on. Livingstone got to his fifty in 22 balls as the captain was indeed leading from the front. The equation now boiled down to 22 runs off 10 balls. Liam Livingstone decided to take on Tom Curran and hit him for a boundary followed by back-to-back sixes to swing the game again. 19 runs off that set meant that Birmingham now needed a mere 3 runs off 5 balls.
Saqib Mahmood was not ready to throw in the towel as he got rid of Mousley for 11 off 11 balls with a maximum to his name. Mahmood bowled a yorker around off from over the wicket. Mousley was deep in his crease and looked to help it away to the leg side. He got beaten on the inside edge and wore it on the back pad. The decision was challenged and it came back as Umpire’s call. So, the batter had to depart. Louis Kimber came out to bat next and went first ball.
Mahmood bowled a Yorker at the stumps tailing back in a shade, Kimber looked to flick it away on the leg side and got beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashed onto the stumps. Benny Howell came out to the middle to face the hat-trick ball but he was cool as a cucumber as hit a fuller length ball driving through extra cover for a boundary as Phoenix got over the line with 2 balls left and 4 wickets in hand. Livingstone’s innings of 69* off 27 balls had 7 fours and 5 sixes to his name while Benny Howell was unbeaten on 4 off 1 ball with a boundary to his name. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Saqib Mahmood was the pick of the bowlers for Oval Invincibles with figures of 3/28 in 13 balls. Nathan Sowter finished with figures of 1/17 in 15 balls. Sam Curran finished with 1/27 in 20 balls while Tom Curran finished with 1/35 in 15 balls. Rashid Khan had a day to forget as he finished with 59 runs off 20 balls without a wicket taken. Jason Behrendorff gave away 14 runs in 15 balls but did not take a wicket. Birmingham Phoenix get their first win this season winning by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare and for his terrific performance with the bat and leading from the front Liam Livingstone was adjudged Player of the Match.
With this win, Birmingham climbs up to 7th in the points table with a win in 3 games and 4 points while Oval despite the loss still stay on top with 2 wins from 3 games and have 8 points to their kitty.
What Lies Ahead.
We have a double-header on this Wednesday. First up, it’s Southern Brave up against Northern Superchargers from Southampton at 7:30 PM IST and this will be followed by Welsh Fire searching for their first win this season up against Manchester Originals live at 11 PM IST.
So, double the action double the fun on Men’s Hundred 2025 on Wednesday 13th August 2025. A lot of fun and exciting cricketing action in prospect from this tournament going forward.
Also Read: Hundred 2025: Manchester Originals Open Their Account With A Close Win Over London Spirit