Aussie spinners shine as Invincibles bag Hundred double

Oval Invincibles were able to call upon some timely Australian spin assistance as The Hundred got under way in London with wins for both their men's and women's sides.

Amanda-Jade Wellington did the damage in the first fixture of the day, shining on debut for her new club as she took 3-9 to help bowl out Birmingham Phoenix’s women for 105 in reply to the Invincibles’ 5-150.

Later, another Aussie leg-spinner in the shape of Adam Zampa replicated her success in the evening match with 3-11.

Paige Schofield had earlier laid the foundation for the Invincibles’ dominant 45-run victory against Phoenix in the women's clash, scoring a sparkling 71.

Scholfield found admirable company in England youngster Alice Capsey (51) as they put on 90 for the second wicket .

And when Phoenix lost three early wickets in reply - including the run out of their own Australian star in Ellyse Perry for a seven-ball duck, their fate looked sealed.

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones put up resistance for the visitors, but the Invincibles' bowling attack - and in particular Wellington - proved too strong and sealed the win.

Then, the Invincibles' men's pace duo of Saqib Mahmood and Mohammad Amir had set the tone, ripped the heart out of Birmingham Phoenix's first-innings effort under the Oval floodlights reducing them to 4-10 after just 17 balls. 

Amir and Mahmood took two wickets apiece before Zampa stepped in and while Jacob Bethell and Benny Howell did their best to repair the damage for Phoenix, their eventual total of 89 never looked enough. 

In reply, Invincibles waltzed to an eight-wicket win, captain Sam Billings adding some late hitting, after Tawanda Muyeye struck a 14-ball 23. 

Zampa's three-wicket haul came in only seven balls and the 32-year-old NSW-born spinner said: "It was nice to start that way, especially at home, and it was good for us to continue our success from last year. 

"It's a really enjoyable competition, I love playing in The Hundred. You feel like it's a really alien concept but once you're playing in it, it's Twenty20 cricket with a couple of tactical changes, I love it."

Zampa told the BBC he was happy with his form and added he felt it's come from plying his trade at the top level for some time. 

"It's a bit of everything. I've got a lot of cricket under my belt now and I feel really confident where I can land the ball and put it, which helps from a tactical point of things," he said.

Aussies in The Hundred 2024

Women

Birmingham Phoenix: Ellyse Perry (A$76,000)

Manchester Originals: Beth Mooney (A$95,000), Kim Garth (replacement player)

London Spirit: Meg Lanning (A$95,000), Georgia Redmayne (A$33,000), Erin Burns (until late July)

Oval Invincibles: Amanda-Jade Wellington (A$57,000), Megan Schutt (replacement player), Laura Harris (until July 28)

Trent Rockets: Ashleigh Gardner (A$95,000), Alana King (A$76,000), Heather Graham (A$57,000)

Welsh Fire: Jess Jonassen (A$57,000)

Northern Superchargers: Annabel Sutherland (A$95,000), Phoebe Litchfield (A$95,000), Georgia Wareham (A$76,000)

Southern Brave: Lauren Cheatle (A$27,000), Charli Knott (until July 30)

Men

Birmingham Phoenix: Sean Abbott (A$95,000)

London Spirit: Nathan Ellis (A$191,000)

Oval Invincibles: Adam Zampa (A$191,000), Spencer Johnson (A$114,000)

Northern Superchargers: Matt Short (A$143,000), Daniel Sams (A$143,000)