In a thrilling match at Edgbaston, the Birmingham Phoenix secured a nine-wicket victory over the Manchester Originals to book their spot in The Hundred Eliminator against Southern Brave at The Kia Oval. The Phoenix chased down their target of 42 runs with ease, thanks to some explosive batting from Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the Phoenix got off to a great start with Kiwi speedster Adam Milne removing Matthew Hurst from the second legal delivery of the match. The Originals struggled to get going, losing wickets at regular intervals as the Phoenix bowlers kept the pressure on. Milne was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 2-8.
Speaking after the match, Milne said, “There was a little bit of swing and seam so it was nice to use that first up, but in these shortened games anything can happen, so [you] just mix it up.”
In reply, the Phoenix got off to a flying start, with Jamie Smith hitting Fazalhaq Farooqi for two sixes in the first over. Ben Duckett then took over the reins, smashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground in a quick-fire innings. Despite losing Smith for 14, Duckett and skipper Moeen Ali saw the Phoenix over the line with eight balls to spare.
Moeen Ali was delighted with his team’s performance, saying, “It was a great team effort. Everyone contributed with the ball and then we chased down the total comfortably. We are looking forward to the Eliminator against Southern Brave.”
The Phoenix will now face the Southern Brave in a do-or-die clash at The Kia Oval, with the winner booking a place in the final at Lord’s. It promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of the strongest teams in The Hundred competition.
