S Poddar
Birmingham Phoenix eased into a final eliminatory spot in The Hundred men’s competition after eliminating Manchester Originals in a rain-reduced contest at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The consistent drizzle that marked the entire innings limited the game to 30 balls per team. Phoenix was cruising to an easy chase of 42 runs with nine wickets in hand and yet eight balls to spare when the rain started.
Ben Duckett, England’s Test opener, led from the front and made an unbeaten 22 off just 12 balls. Confident stroke play by Jamie Smith added 14 runs off seven balls before he fell as the only wicket. Victory was sealed in dramatic style with captain Moeen Ali hitting a six to end the game, setting up a critical showdown with Southern Brave in the Eliminator.
Not that it was a fluent day for batting, but Duckett and Smith still chewed an ordinary Manchester Originals attack. With any hopes of making it to the next round long since vanished, Originals struggled to find rhythm in the rain-reduced format. Just Max Holden and Phil Salt among their batters reached double figures as they contributed 15 and 12 runs respectively to their team’s total of 127-4.
Led by New Zealand pacer Adam Milne, the Phoenix bowlers exploited the conditions well. Milne was particularly lethal, taking 2-8 from his set of deliveries, one of which accounted for Matty Hurst on just the second ball of the innings. That allowed them to consolidate the Originals in deep trouble at 41-5, as they failed to recover from the body blows dealt by the Phoenix attack.
This was a must-win situation for the Birmingham Phoenix. Another loss would have meant Northern Superchargers overhauling them in the points, snatching that insignificant last place in the Eliminator. However, with that dominant win, the Phoenix confirmed their place in a high-stakes fixture against Southern Brave at The Oval on Saturday.
It meant Oval Invincibles finished the group stage at the top of the table, booking their place to the final directly. Now, their Sunday fixture at Lord’s will be pitted against the winner of today’s Eliminator—Phoenix and Southern Brave.
With this momentum, the eyes of all look toward Phoenix to see if they can take it up in the final and upset the defending champions. It promises to be a thrilling encounter where Phoenix ride high on confidence after their dominant performance against Manchester Originals.
