This article will talk about the probable XIs for both teams and continue with the Dream11 predictions and the winning fantasy team for Match 18 of “The Hundred” between the Birmingham Phoenix and Oval Invincibles that is scheduled to take place on the 4th of August 2021.
The 4th placed Birmingham Phoenix with 2 wins in 4 matches will host the Oval Invincibles in the respective teams’ 5th match of the inaugural Hundred at Edgbaston. The Invincibles are placed in the 3rd with 2 wins and a defeat to their name.
Birmingham Pheonix led by Moeen Ali registered a dominating victory over the Trent Rockets by 6 wickets and with 26 balls to spare. Bowling first, they restricted the Rockets to 144/7 in what was a batting paradise at Edgbaston. Adam Milne was the chief architect in their bowling and ended with economical figures of 2/13 off his 20 balls.
They overcame the assault of a Dawid Malan, Alex Hales, and Samit Patel to keep them down below 150. Chasing 145, the Pheonix batsman reached their 100th run in just 48 balls thanks to a sensational 13 ball 36 from their young opener Will Smeed coupled with Finn Allen’s 43 from just 23 balls. In the end, it was all too easy for Livingstone who oversaw a win for his team.
Oval Invincibles are also coming to this game on the back of a win over the Welsh Fire and it was a complete contrasting game. Bowling first, the Oval bowlers led by Tom Curran who took 3/29 managed to the Fire batsmen in check they conceded just 121 in their 100 balls. Chasing a paltry score of 122, the Sam Billings-led team on the back of its skipper’s 40 reached the target in 93 balls.
Match Details
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Pitch and Weather: The pitch in Edgbaston is one of the best for the batsman. In the last match, both teams scored close to 145 in their respective innings and it should remain the case in this match as well. The weather will be cloudy with temperatures reaching 21-22 but it is unlikely that rain will interrupt the match.
Date & Time: August 4, 7.00 PM Local time, 11.30 PM IST
Probable Playing XIs
The Pheonix had a near-perfect game in the last match. Their bowlers kept down their opponents’ Rockets to below 150 in a batting paradise. They were clinical in the chase with each of the top-4 getting starts and they won with more than 25 balls to spare. They should go with the same team.
The visiting team Invincibles too may not look to tinker with the line-up that won against the Welsh Fire. They would happy with the bowling unit whose form will be crucial in the upcoming game at Edgbaston.
Birmingham Phoenix
Finn Allen, Will Smeed, Miles Hammond, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali(C), Chris Benjamin(WK), Benny Howell, Pat Brown, Adam Milne, Tom Helm, Imran Tahir
Oval Invincibles
Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Colin Ingram, Laurie Evans, Sam Billings(c & wk), Tom Curran, Sunil Narine, Jordan Clark, Tabraiz Shamsi, Reece Topley, Saqib Mahmood
Match Prediction
Birmingham Pheonix playing at their home ground will be the odds on favorites to win this contest against the Oval Invincibles. The Pheonix dominated their last game at this venue and expect them to make it 2 in a row here.
Fantasy Tips
Batsman: Jason Roy is an obvious pick from Oval Invincibles in this match. He has been in top form in recent times and in the Hundred as well. The Pheonix openers Finn Allen and Will Smeed produced some top-class hitting in the last match. So the duo can be picked in the fantasy.
Wicket-keeper: The skipper of Invincibles Sam Billings can be the lone keeper option in the team. He made a fine 40 in the last game and has been a top run-getter for his team.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone made a telling contribution for the Pheonix in the last game, and owing to their recent batting form are obvious choices in the fantasy team. Sunil Narine is being promoted at the top of the order by Oval and has been paid dividends. He has been scoring runs and also has picked 2 wickets as well.
Bowlers: Adam Milne is the pick of the bowlers on the Pheonix side. He has picked 7 wickets in the 4 games thus far and along with him, Imran Tahir can be picked. From the Invincibles team, Tabraiz Shamsi is an automatic pick given his form in this format. Tom Curran, with 5 wickets and 63 runs in 4 games can be the 4th bowler in the fantasy team.
Captaincy Choices
Fantasy Team: Finn Allen, Will Sameed, Jason Roy(c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sunil Narine, Tom Curran, Adam Milne, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Captain: Liam Livingstone
The all-rounder has in red-hot form in the shortest format of the game and he can be made the captain.
Vice-Captain: Jason Roy
The Invincibles opener has the capability to play a destructive knock and boost the fantasy points. He is also great form in this brief season so far.
Dream11 Team
