The Hundred 2024: Adam Zampa stars as Invincibles beat Fire in low-scoring contest

Oval Invincibles successfully defended a low total of 113 as they beat Welsh Fire by 10 runs in The Hundred men’s competition at Sophia Gardens.

Having been put into bat, Invincibles slipped to 43-4, with Dawid Malan and Sam Billings falling for a duck and three respectively, and fellow England international Will Jacks holing out in the deep after a quick-fire 25.

Sam Curran (20) and Donovan Ferreira (30) then put on 46 for the fifth wicket, until Curran dropped a shot into the hands of Tom Kohler-Cadmore at long-on.

The wicket prompted an end of innings collapse as Invincibles lost 5-16 in 18 balls, then scored just five runs from David Payne’s final set.

Jonny Bairstow and Joe Clarke were both bowled cheaply in the reply, and opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore scored a slow 22 from 33 as Fire struggled to get going.

Leg-spinners Adam Zampa (3-24) and Nathan Sowter (2-12) then ripped through the Fire middle order, with the home side also losing 5-16 from the halfway mark to leave them needing 52 runs from the final 21 balls of the innings.

Payne then smashed his side back into content, striking 28 runs from 15 deliveries in a 40-run partnership with Mason Crane.

But needing two sixes from the final balls of the innings, Payne heaved the ball into the hands of Malan at cover to hand Invincibles a deserved victory.