The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from The men's Hundred clash between Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix at the Kia Oval
Tawanda Muyeye's three outings for Oval Invincibles in last season's Hundred delivered an inauspicious 11 runs in two innings.
Back for 2024, he wasted little time surpassing that tally. And on route to scoring 23 from 14 balls he delivered the shot of the day in south London.
Adam Milne dropped a touch short but the Kent man needed no second invitation, punching on it quickly and delivering a flicked uppercut which beat the infield and landed just inside the rope.
"Cracking" said Nasser Hussain. "Flamboyant" added Stuart Broad. They weren't wrong.
If there was one action that youngsters in attendance will be aiming to repeat tomorrow and beyond it will be Muyeye's utterly superb piece of strokeplay. Now that is inspiration.
Saqib Mahmood showed good pace throughout his 15 balls and was rewarded with two wickets (ECB/Getty Images)
Perhaps the ECB have already lost the argument over whether The Hundred can be considered a world-class competition. But even the deepest-seated cynics should allow for some of the action to be a little rough around the edges.
That is certainly an accurate way to describe the removal of Rishi Patel in the Phoenix innings.
A wider delivery from Adam Zampa caught the Leicestershire opener, who advanced the wicket, out and Sam Billings appeared to have the simple task of completing a routine stumping.
And though Patel was dismissed, it was not before the ball was shelled, had ricocheted off Billings' chest and onto the stumps, leaving Patel short of his ground and Birmingham's innings in disarray.
A single set which went for 14 and was dispatched for two sixes and not needed in the chase, you could have been forgiven for thinking Sam Curran endured a quiet night on his home ground.
But he produced one of the catches of the day as Liam Livingstone was removed after just two balls.
Saqib Mahmood bowled with real venom across his 15 balls and having already removed Aneurin Donald he added Livingstone to his list of victims.
The England all-rounder went to launch the ball down the ground but running backwards Curran kept his eye on the ball and took a brilliant grab with the ball coming over his shoulder as the Invincibles kept the pressure on during the opening exchanges.
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