A staggering display of sustained hitting from Birmingham Phoenix’s top order propelled them to a statement 10-run win over Trent Rockets on Friday night at Edgbaston.
A raucous home crowd were treated to a slugfest that yielded 29 sixes across both innings as the Rockets, chasing 215 to win, briefly threatened to make history in The Hundred.
After the powerplay, Rockets’ openers Ben Duckett and Finn Allen smashed 54 unbroken runs and were up with the rate. The Phoenix needed their Pakistan overseas star Usman Tariq, to undo the partnership, inducing a skewed lofted drive from Allen to be caught by Scott Currie at long-on.
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Craig Overton took a stunning catch on the boundary to remove the dangerous Will Smeed shortly after reaching fifty
Duckett continued to push on, only for Currie, a £210,000 purchase for Birmingham, to produce a beautiful delivery that jagged off the pitch to find the edge.
With both openers perishing just shy of a half-century, the Rockets lost momentum in the middle third.
Tariq deployed the full range of his impressive repertoire to keep the Rockets in check, with the dismissal of the dangerous Tim David for just 2, well caught behind by Clarke, the key moment as their chase ran aground. Not even the brilliance of Tom Banton, who struck a 32-ball 67 at the death, was enough to get it done, as the Rockets finished 10 runs short.
The Phoenix have compiled a formidable batting line-up that was irrepressible on a true Edgbaston pitch. Clarke and Will Smeed nailed the powerplay, smashing 54 runs off the first 25, and both registered half-centuries, with Clarke’s 33-ball 68, featuring seven fours and four sixes, a stroke-making masterclass.
After his dismissal with the score on 104, Rehan Ahmed stepped up to strike five sixes himself, either side of a brutal cameo from the skipper Donovan Ferreira, whose nine-ball stay included three clubbed maximums to take the innings tally up to 17, the joint highest in the tournament’s history. A mark of the Phoenix’s collective brilliance: Smeed’s strike rate of 182 for his 28-ball 51 was the lowest across their top six.
The home crowd were treated to a pair of innings that yielded 29 sixes
Meerkat Match Hero Joe Clarke said: “We’ve got licence at the top of the order with our strength in depth, we got the team off to a good start and then the big hitters came in at the end and got us extra momentum.”
On keeping wicket to the overseas star Usman Tariq, he added: “It’s interesting! I’ve spent the last few days keeping to him in the nets, trying to work out which balls are which, so it’s going to be a hell of an experience through the tournament. He’s been quality, and a very good 20 balls from him tonight.”
What’s next?
Saturday’s Hundred double-header comes from Headingley as Sunrisers Leeds take on Southern Brave. The women’s game starts at 11am, while the men’s match is due to commence at 14.30pm. Catch both fixtures live on Sky Sports. Watch The Hundred and more contract-free on NOW
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