Eoin Morgan snubs champions Oval Invincibles as he picks his favorites for The Hundred 2024

Former England captain Eoin Morgan has revealed his picks for the winners of the ongoing The Hundred 2024. The fourth edition of the competition got underway this week.

The first game of the competition took place on Tuesday (July 23) with Oval Invincibles taking on Birmingham Phoenix in the men's and women's tournament. In the men's game, the Oval Invincibles thrashed Birmingham Phoenix by 8 wickets.

Batting first, Birmingham Phoenix were all out for 89 runs off 81 balls with only three batters registering double-digit scores. Opener Rishi Patel top-scored for his side, scoring 25 runs off 24 balls while the likes of Jacob Bethell (22) and Benny Howell (24) also made useful contributions.

Barring them, not a single player could score more than 4 runs as five players scored exactly 1 while two registered ducks. For Oval Invincibles, Adam Zampa picked up 3 wickets for 11 runs while Mohammad Amir, Saqib Mahmood, and Will Jacks picked up 2 wickets each.

In reply, the Invincibles chased down the total in 69 deliveries and with 8 wickets in hand. Captain Sam Billings led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 31 while Dawid Malan (24) and Tawanda Muyeye (23) played crucial knocks as well.

In the women's tournament, the Invincibles thrashed the Phoenix by 45 runs. Asked to bat first, the Invincibles posted a huge total of 150 for 5 in 100 balls. Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey starred with the bat by scoring half-centuries, Scholfield scored 71 runs from 40 balls while Capsey scored 52 off 40.

In reply, the Birmingham-based outfit was bowled out for 105 runs in 92 balls. Barring Amy Jones (21), no other Birmingham batter could reach the 20-run mark as the Invincibles registered an easy victory. Amanda-Jade Wellington impressed with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 9 runs.

Eoin Morgan picks his favorites:

With the tournament getting underway this week, Eoin Morgan has picked his favorites to win the Hundred 2024. Speaking on Sky Sports, the England legend backed Southern Brave to defend the title in the women's Hundred. In the men's Hundred, Eoin Morgan snubbed defending champions Oval Invincibles and picked London Spirits as his favorites to win the competition.

"My team that I'll tip this year in the women's Hundred is the Southern Brave, the defending champions. The first two years, it went to the Oval Invincibles, I believe the title this year will be defended yet again," said Eoin Morgan.

"In the men's Hundred, I am backing the men at Lord's, the London Spirit. Been to the qualifiers once and missed out. So they are due, with the quality of players that they have. The likes of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope as an addition and the powerhouse from Jamaica, Andre Russell," he added.

Eoin Morgan picks his winners of The Hundred 2024 🔮 pic.twitter.com/iQiEWA5sWd

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 24, 2024