Birmingham Phoenix survived a scare to beat Oval Invincibles by 10 runs and boost their qualification hopes in the men's Hundred.
Chasing 167, Invincibles looked out of the contest after the loss of regular wickets, including Jordan Cox (32) and Sam Billings in consecutive balls, left them 99-5 after 73 balls.
But Sam Curran cracked 30 from 20 balls and brother Tom a thrilling 30 from 12 to give the hosts real hope.
They reduced the equation to 32 needed from 15 before both were caught in the space of four balls bowled by Tom Helm.
Matt Milnes was caught with five balls to go, leaving the hosts needing 22 from four, only for the drama to continue with Mohammad Hasnain hitting his first ball for six and his second for four.
However, bowler Benny Howell held his nerve as the Invincibles finished on 156-8.
Liam Livingstone had earlier hit 45 from 32 balls and Moeen Ali 42 from 25 - the England pair crashing four sixes each - in the Phoenix's 166-5.
The win means the Phoenix jump up to third in the table, above the Invincibles who drop to fifth.
Here's what else happened:
England and Invincibles opener Jason Roy survived a dropped catch and hitting the ball onto his own stumps only for the bails not to come off in his 21 from 19 balls - his highest of the score of the Hundred so far amid a poor run of form.
Phoenix bowler Kane Richardson, the Australia international, took the match hero award for his three wickets - Cox and Billings, plus the dangerous Will Jacks for four at the start of the Invincibles' chase.
Roy's Invincibles team-mate, England bowler Reece Topley, pulled out of the tournament shortly before the match to manage his workload.
What's next?
The Invincibles meet city rivals London Spirit on Saturday at Lord's in their next game. The Phoenix host Manchester Originals on Sunday.
Post update
Funniest moment of the day....how about this fan accidently slapping the person in front of him as he throws the ball back to the players?
His one-handed catch wasn't too bad either.
'Those are the sort of wins you want under your belt'
Birmingham Phoenix captain Moeen Ali to Sky Sports: "We felt we were a little under par, we just couldn't get going. Maybe me and Livi [Liam Livingstone] could have gone a little bit harder. It was a good wicket but not a great one but I thought we bowled really well tonight, the seamers in particularly were brilliant.
"We could have been a bit more smart with the smaller leg-side boundary. I felt like there was a lot of dot balls which could have cost us, rather than getting twos. It is a tough one but you always feel like you could go harder.
"I didn't want to get smashed tonight! I wasn't feeling it tonight to be honest. There was a time with Rilee Rossouw that I was going to come on but then he got out and I was glad I didn't have to because he plays spin well. You do have some sort of plan but a lot of it is gut feeling. You are going to get it wrong at times and once you accept that it is OK but it can still work out well if you get the other guys right.
"When you have games like that and you defend once, twice or three times it can give you a lot of confidence. Those are the sort of wins you want under your belts.
"Tom Helm was brilliant tonight and he's got better as the tournament as it went on. He found it difficult last year but he has stood up this year and been one of our senior bowlers.
"It was a huge win tonight."
BBCCopyright: BBC
'It's in our hands'
Kane Richardson, match hero speaking to Sky Sports: "It's always nice to win, it's a tough ground to defend. Feedback at the halfway stage was that there's pace and bounce in the wicket.
"Tom Helm's over was pretty class. To get both the Curran brothers out in the same set is a pretty good effort. He should probably be standing here to be honest.
"I was just using the dimensions. It was a really big boundary to one side.
"I think we know we're pretty hard to beat at home, the crowd really gets behind us there. We know that destiny is in our hands now that we've won this one."
Post update
What it means.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Post update
Phoenix's Richardson has just told Sky Sports his side "know they're hard to beat".
The Midlands outfit are building something.
Points table
That win, by the way, puts the Phoenix in third, level on points with second-placed London Spirit and two points ahead of the Oval Invincibles in fifth.
Only the top three qualify for the next round.
BBC SportCopyright: BBC Sport
Post update
The Phoenix's Kane Richardson is the match hero after finishing on 3-22. It could have been a whole host of players tonight to be honest.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Post update
Henry Moeran
BBC Radio
It's the Birmingham Phoenix that win and take a big step towards the play-offs stage.
BreakingBirmingham Phoenix win by 10 runs
What a finish. Birmingham Phoenix very nearly threw that one away, but they just, just, get over the line.
What a win for cricket. We've been spoilt with a cracking match this evening.
Invincibles 155-8
Target 167
Swing and a miss. That's the game.
Post update
Henry Moeran
BBC Radio
For just the second time, in Hasnain's T20 career, he's hit it over the fence.
Invincibles 155-8
Target 167
Four more. 12 needed off two. Will this be the first ever tie?
Invincibles 151-8
Target 167
Hasnain smashes a six. They still believe. 16 needed off three.
WICKET
Milnes c Richardson b Howell 4 (Invincibles 145-8)
Caught at long-off.
That's the game, surely now!
Hasnain is next in.
Post update
Benny Howell will bowl the last five.
Post update
Carlos Brathwaite
West Indies all-rounder on BBC radio
Neat piece of cricket, I love that.
Invincibles 145-7
Target 167
That's clever. Milnes scoops one over the keeper for four.
22 needed off five. There's still a slim chance.
Invincibles 141-7
Target 167
Single. Now it's the turn of new batter Matt Milnes.
Live Reporting
Joe Rindl and Anurag Hegde
All times stated are UK
![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/96/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2019/12/15/e9367f8d-b974-4e91-aae6-6a1036c3af32.jpg)
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England and Invincibles opener Jason Roy survived a dropped catch and hitting the ball onto his own stumps only for the bails not to come off in his 21 from 19 balls - his highest of the score of the Hundred so far amid a poor run of form.
-
Phoenix bowler Kane Richardson, the Australia international, took the match hero award for his three wickets - Cox and Billings, plus the dangerous Will Jacks for four at the start of the Invincibles' chase.
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Roy's Invincibles team-mate, England bowler Reece Topley, pulled out of the tournament shortly before the match to manage his workload.
![Tom Helm's bowling: 5% full, 35% good length and 60% short. 20 balls, 13 dots, went for 11 runs, took 3 wickets with an economy of 0.55 runs per ball.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
BBCCopyright: BBC ![Kane Richardson](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images ![Men's Hundred: Rockets 10, Spirit 8, Phoenix 8, Originals 6, Invincibles 6, Superchargers 4, Brave 4, Fire 0](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
BBC SportCopyright: BBC Sport ![Kane Richardson's bowling: 10% full, 45% good length and 45% short. 20 balls, 8 dots, went for 22 runs, took 3 wickets with an economy of 1.10 runs per ball.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
BBCCopyright: BBC ![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/96/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2019/7/2/90371887-463a-438e-9431-5d43bd6f6da9.jpg)
![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/96/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2019/7/2/90371887-463a-438e-9431-5d43bd6f6da9.jpg)
![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/96/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2020/7/8/d06a616f-68ce-4931-b6f4-d77ddf35937a.jpg)
Latest PostPhoenix hold on to beat Invincibles at The Oval
Matthew Henry
BBC Sport cricket writer at The Oval
Birmingham Phoenix survived a scare to beat Oval Invincibles by 10 runs and boost their qualification hopes in the men's Hundred.
Chasing 167, Invincibles looked out of the contest after the loss of regular wickets, including Jordan Cox (32) and Sam Billings in consecutive balls, left them 99-5 after 73 balls.
But Sam Curran cracked 30 from 20 balls and brother Tom a thrilling 30 from 12 to give the hosts real hope.
They reduced the equation to 32 needed from 15 before both were caught in the space of four balls bowled by Tom Helm.
Matt Milnes was caught with five balls to go, leaving the hosts needing 22 from four, only for the drama to continue with Mohammad Hasnain hitting his first ball for six and his second for four.
However, bowler Benny Howell held his nerve as the Invincibles finished on 156-8.
Liam Livingstone had earlier hit 45 from 32 balls and Moeen Ali 42 from 25 - the England pair crashing four sixes each - in the Phoenix's 166-5.
The win means the Phoenix jump up to third in the table, above the Invincibles who drop to fifth.
Here's what else happened:
What's next?
The Invincibles meet city rivals London Spirit on Saturday at Lord's in their next game. The Phoenix host Manchester Originals on Sunday.
Post update
Funniest moment of the day....how about this fan accidently slapping the person in front of him as he throws the ball back to the players?
His one-handed catch wasn't too bad either.
'Those are the sort of wins you want under your belt'
Birmingham Phoenix captain Moeen Ali to Sky Sports: "We felt we were a little under par, we just couldn't get going. Maybe me and Livi [Liam Livingstone] could have gone a little bit harder. It was a good wicket but not a great one but I thought we bowled really well tonight, the seamers in particularly were brilliant.
"We could have been a bit more smart with the smaller leg-side boundary. I felt like there was a lot of dot balls which could have cost us, rather than getting twos. It is a tough one but you always feel like you could go harder.
"I didn't want to get smashed tonight! I wasn't feeling it tonight to be honest. There was a time with Rilee Rossouw that I was going to come on but then he got out and I was glad I didn't have to because he plays spin well. You do have some sort of plan but a lot of it is gut feeling. You are going to get it wrong at times and once you accept that it is OK but it can still work out well if you get the other guys right.
"When you have games like that and you defend once, twice or three times it can give you a lot of confidence. Those are the sort of wins you want under your belts.
"Tom Helm was brilliant tonight and he's got better as the tournament as it went on. He found it difficult last year but he has stood up this year and been one of our senior bowlers.
"It was a huge win tonight."
'It's in our hands'
Kane Richardson, match hero speaking to Sky Sports: "It's always nice to win, it's a tough ground to defend. Feedback at the halfway stage was that there's pace and bounce in the wicket.
"Tom Helm's over was pretty class. To get both the Curran brothers out in the same set is a pretty good effort. He should probably be standing here to be honest.
"I was just using the dimensions. It was a really big boundary to one side.
"I think we know we're pretty hard to beat at home, the crowd really gets behind us there. We know that destiny is in our hands now that we've won this one."
Post update
What it means.
Post update
Phoenix's Richardson has just told Sky Sports his side "know they're hard to beat".
The Midlands outfit are building something.
Points table
That win, by the way, puts the Phoenix in third, level on points with second-placed London Spirit and two points ahead of the Oval Invincibles in fifth.
Only the top three qualify for the next round.
Post update
The Phoenix's Kane Richardson is the match hero after finishing on 3-22. It could have been a whole host of players tonight to be honest.
Post update
Henry Moeran
BBC Radio
It's the Birmingham Phoenix that win and take a big step towards the play-offs stage.
BreakingBirmingham Phoenix win by 10 runs
What a finish. Birmingham Phoenix very nearly threw that one away, but they just, just, get over the line.
What a win for cricket. We've been spoilt with a cracking match this evening.
Invincibles 155-8
Target 167
Swing and a miss. That's the game.
Post update
Henry Moeran
BBC Radio
For just the second time, in Hasnain's T20 career, he's hit it over the fence.
Invincibles 155-8
Target 167
Four more. 12 needed off two. Will this be the first ever tie?
Invincibles 151-8
Target 167
Hasnain smashes a six. They still believe. 16 needed off three.
WICKET
Milnes c Richardson b Howell 4 (Invincibles 145-8)
Caught at long-off.
That's the game, surely now!
Hasnain is next in.
Post update
Benny Howell will bowl the last five.
Post update
Carlos Brathwaite
West Indies all-rounder on BBC radio
Neat piece of cricket, I love that.
Invincibles 145-7
Target 167
That's clever. Milnes scoops one over the keeper for four.
22 needed off five. There's still a slim chance.
Invincibles 141-7
Target 167
Single. Now it's the turn of new batter Matt Milnes.
Invincibles 140-7
Target 167
Dot. 27 needed off seven.