OVAL, JUL 24: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir was on the mark for defending champions Oval Invincibles in the first game of The Hundred 2024 against Birmingham Phoenix at The Oval.
The 32-year-old bagged figures of 2/7 in 15 balls he bowled and didn’t concede a single boundary.
Meanwhile, there have been questions about whether Amir will continue playing in The Hundred after an appearance in the tournament’s opener.
As per the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) press release on July 20, Amir was supposed to only play one game for the Oval Invincibles as a replacement for Australian pacer Spencer Johnson.
Johnson was with the LA Knight Riders at the 2024 Major League Cricket (MLC) and will join Invincibles for their next game on July 24. LA Knight Riders failed to qualify for the MLC 2024 playoffs.
Regarding the first game of The Hundred, Phoenix struggled against the disciplined bowling attack of the Invincibles after opting to bat. They were dismissed for a mere 89 runs in 81 balls, with 19 deliveries still remaining.
Rishi Patel (25), Benny Howell (24), and Jacob Bethell (22) were the only batsmen to put up a fight, as the rest of the lineup failed to score significant runs.
Mohammad Amir was the standout performer with the ball, picking up two crucial wickets of Dan Mousley (1) and skipper Moeen Ali (1) in his 15-ball spell, conceding just 7 runs.
His fiery bowling was well-supported by Adam Zampa, who claimed three wickets in his spell, further crippling the Phoenix batting order.
In response, the defending champions chased down the target with ease, losing only two wickets in 69 balls.
Skipper Sam Billings led the charge with a crucial knock of 31 runs, while Dawid Malan remained unbeaten on 24 runs, and Tawanda Muyeye contributed 23 runs to the successful chase.
Adam Zampa was awarded Man of the Match for his exceptional bowling performance.
