Invincibles vs Phoenix, 1st Match at London,Women's Hundred, Jul 23 2024 - Match Result

Don't go too far away, as the Men's Hundred Competition is about to get underway in less than an hour. Andrew Miller has kicked off the commentary for the opener between Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix; it should be a fascinating contest. Follow it here

Match Hero Scholfield: "I'm absolutely buzzing. It's the first time I've opened so I was a bit nervous but I had Lozzy [Lauren Winfield-Hill] there helping me through those first 10 balls and I got a nice feel for the pitch. I haven't done a lot of opening, I usually come in at the end and try and hit as many boundaries as I can in as few balls as possible! But I enjoyed it.

"I feel like there was a bit of tennis ball bounce in the pitch so you had to either move well back or forward, so I trusted my shots and I played them. We bat down to No.11 so I trusted myself and I went for it - and I've always got them in the dug-out if it doesn't go quite as well. Chamari can have it [the opening role when she returns from the Asia Cup], I'm going to do what head coach Jon Batty tells me to do!"

150 proved too overwhelming for Birmingham Phoenix, who fell short by 45 runs and could only muster 105 in the end. They lost wickets at regular intervals and found it hard to clear the ropes. That suicidal run from captain Ellyse Perry was a major turning point. It was an absolutely needless attempt, as she kept running down the wicket after defending the ball to cover and the single was never on. That botch-up allowed the Invincibles to turn the screws further and they continued to take wickets. Invincibles were accurate with their bowling plans, inducing false strokes by not giving away many freebies. The scoreboard pressure kept rising and made life tough for Phoenix.

Invincibles used the new ball better, extracting more swing, setting the tone upfront, and keeping a lid on the score. Eye-catching fifties from Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey were the highlights of the day, as both batters were exceptional in the tournament opener and made life easier for their bowlers. Amanda-Jade Wellington snapped up three wickets and conceded only 0.45 runs per ball, clearly the pick of the bowlers for the Invincibles. She wasn't afraid to flight the ball and reaped the rewards by extracting plenty of turn, showing her dexterity in no uncertain terms

As for Phoenix, it's just the start of the tournament. They weren't completely outplayed but leaked too many runs with the ball. Let's hope they'll make amends and get back on track after a woeful last season

AussieBren: "Disagree with those penalty runs. Sure the throw was unnecessary but as if Kapp meant to throw it towards her neck. She immediately apologized and Bates took it in good strides. Overpolicing."