Richard Mann previews Tuesday's match from The Hundred, with Birmingham Phoenix up against when they host champions Oval Invincibles.
Cricket betting tips: Birmingham Phoenix vs Oval Invincibles
2pts Birmingham Phoenix under 141.5 total match runs at 5/6 (General)
Birmingham Phoenix started the season harbouring what appeared to be realistic title aspirations for The Hundred, expected to be driven by star-studded batting and bowling line-ups. But things have started badly.
Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell will be part of England’s Ashes squad this coming winter, and yet neither have pulled up any trees in the first two matches of the new campaign, meaning the likes of Joe Clarke and Liam Livingstone have been left swimming against the tide.
And what of the bowling? Trent Boult and Tim Southee have reformed their famed New Zealand new-ball attack, but have come unstuck, so too fellow Kiwi paceman Adam Milne who has such a strong record in this competition.
Following two heavy defeats, things are already looking grim for Phoenix, and don’t expect things to get any better when they host defending champions Oval Invincibles on Tuesday night.
Invincibles have looked just that, brushing aside London Spirit and Manchester Originals with the minimum of fuss, in the process doing plenty of favours to their Net Run Rate.
Fielding first in both games, the Invincibles bowled out both opponents, before quickly chasing down their victory targets in the manner of a team that is full of confidence and already thinking about the latter stages of the tournament.
This team is laced with talent and experience, overseas signings Jason Behrendorff and Rashid Khan already doing plenty of damage with the ball, and Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye the same with the bat. Throw the Curran brothers into the mix, along with Jordan Cox, and this is a very, very good side.
There is great depth, variety aplenty, and a winning culture, so it’s hard to see anything other than an away win on Tuesday.
The negative is the pre-match price, around the 8/13 mark, but that could drift in-play with even just a few fruitful sets for Phoenix, so that might be the best way to play. Look to back the Invincibles at 5/6 in-play, and then expect them to prove too strong, as they so often do.
Perhaps the biggest question for punters is just what to expect in terms of runs and final totals.
Edgbaston is generally renowned as one of the best places to bat in England, but Phoenix only scored 122-6 here against Trent Rockets on Friday, and we saw painfully low scores of 83 all out and 118-9 at this venue last term.
Given those numbers, and the fact the tournament has again been a low-scoring one so far this year, I’m minded to go low on runs again.
Moreover, Phoenix – despite that star-studded roster – do look a mess right now, as highlighted by a drastic change to their batting order from Friday to Sunday. That’s never a good sign.
This Invincibles attack is very good, so betting UNDER 141.5 BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX MATCH RUNS looks a fair wager at a shade of odds-on.
Preview published at 1150 BST on 11/08/25
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