Birmingham Phoenix begin 2024 Hundred with three road trips

The Edgbaston-based franchise help get the action underway when they visit Oval Invincibles on Tuesday, July 23, the first of 34 double header matchdays in the space of less than four weeks in the competition’s fourth year.

Phoenix will begin the eight-team tournament, which has moved to a slightly earlier window in the season than previous years, on the road due to Edgbaston hosting the third test between England and West Indies in the final week of July.

After trips to London Spirit and Trent Rockets, they play the first of four home matches in the space of 12 days when Southern Brave visit Birmingham on Saturday, August 3.

Further home fixtures take place against Northern Superchargers on August 6, the Rockets on August 12 and Manchester Originals on August 15. The final of The Hundred, which will again see women’s and men’s tournaments run side-by-side, takes place at Lord’s on Sunday, August 18.

“It’s always an amazing experience to play cricket in front of our fans at home in Birmingham, especially captaining the side in The Hundred,” said Phoenix men’s skipper Moeen Ali.

“I am really looking forward to this year’s tournament. I think the competition had a really strong year last year, it’s so clear on matchdays that The Hundred is attracting new fans. Hopefully we can push forward on the pitch this summer.”

Though much-criticised, The Hundred claims to have attracted a record 580,000 fans during the 2023 season.

In a notable development, salaries in the women’s competition have increased by £100,000 per team this year, with the top bracket now £50,000 for the best players, compared to £31,000 previously.

The Phoenix men’s team reached the final of the inaugural season in 2021 but have failed to make it out of the group the last two years.