Livingstone blasts Phoenix to victory after 'fat slob' sledge

The Hundred men's competition, Edgbaston

Oval Invincibles 180-8 (100 balls): Ferreira 63 (29); Boult 2-20

Birmingham Phoenix 182-6 (98 balls): Livingstone 69* (27); Mahmood 3-28

Birmingham Phoenix won by 4 wickets

Scorecard. Table

A fired-up Liam Livingstone brilliantly took down Rashid Khan to lead Birmingham Phoenix location successful a thrilling and improbable pursuit of 181 against defending champions Oval Invincibles successful nan men's Hundred.

The Phoenix, beaten successful some of their first 2 fixtures, needed 61 runs from 24 balls pinch six wickets near earlier skipper Livingstone struck 5 balls from superstar Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid for 26 runs, pinch 3 sixes and 2 fours.

With 22 required from nan past 10, he thrashed Tom Curran for different 2 sixes to put Phoenix connected nan brink.

Then, pinch 3 to take sides from nan past five, Saqib Mahmood took 2 wickets successful 2 balls but Benny Howell drove a 4 and Livingstone vanished 69 not retired from 27 - Phoenix completing nan third-highest pursuit successful The Hundred pinch 4 wickets and 2 balls to spare.

There was needle betwixt nan sides passim nan contest, pinch Curran appearing to observe successful nan guidance of Livingstone aft he dismissed Jacob Bethell for eight, astatine which shape Livingstone had 16.

"I person nary thought why Tom started to spray me," Livingstone told BBC Two.

"He is 1 of my bully friends and he called maine a fat slob aliases thing truthful I thought 'let's dream you don't spell for a fewer if you travel backmost astatine nan death' and he did truthful I'm benignant of happy pinch that."

Rashid's last figures - 0-59 from 20 balls - are nan astir costly successful nan tourney arsenic nan Invincibles' winning commencement to nan tourney ended.

Donovan Ferreira had seemingly put them successful power by hitting a sadistic 63 from 29 balls to assistance nan Invincibles to 180-8.

Instead, Livingstone, backed up by 51 from 29 by opener Will Smeed, produced 1 of nan champion knocks successful The Hundred, sealing 1 of nan much improbable victories.

When Rashid began his last set, his broadside had an 87% chance of winning according to analysts CricViz, pinch Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Bethell and Smeed each out.

Five balls later that had swung to 59% successful favour of nan Phoenix – Livingstone playing a sensational hand.

Rashid has had a testing 18 months since backmost room aft nan 2023 World Cup but had been backmost to thing approaching his champion successful Invincibles' first 2 matches.

He had nan astir wickets, champion economy-rate and best-strike complaint of immoderate bowler successful nan men's title earlier this match.

Livingstone, though, has a remarkably bully grounds against nan world's astir sought-after spinner.

His 3 sixes – nan first timed down nan ground, nan 2nd heaved complete quadrate limb and nan third, nan biggest of nan lot, slog-swept complete mid-wicket – took his tally to 21 disconnected Rashid successful T20s. That's 9 much than immoderate different batter.

He has now scored 200 runs disconnected 102 balls from Rashid successful T20s, which is nan astir by immoderate batter. His strike-rate of 192 against Rashid is besides nan world's best.

"I person assurance successful having played him before," Livingstone told Sky Sports.

"I person a decent grounds against Rash by stepping crossed and slogging him.

"I tried to play a mates of balls pinch a consecutive bat. I americium safer trying to slog him."

There are 4 games connected Wednesday - 2 men's and 2 women's.

Southern Brave big Northern Superchargers pinch nan women's lucifer starting astatine 11:30 BST and nan men's 15:00.

Welsh Fire besides big Manchester Originals successful nan women's title from 15:00 pinch nan men pursuing from 18:30.

You tin travel ball-by-ball commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and nan BBC Sport website and app.