August 11, 2024

Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett Smother Fire season After Sean Abbott’s Four-For

In a gripping contest, Birmingham Phoenix secured a five-wicket win over Welsh Fire. Chasing 147, Phoenix reached 148 for 5, thanks to an unbeaten 54 from Duckett and a solid 60 by Moeen. Earlier, Welsh Fire had posted 146 for 8, largely due to a resilient 54 from Kohler-Cadmore and an exceptional 4 for 16 performance by Abbott, who kept the hosts in check. The opening partnership of 114 between Moeen and Duckett proved crucial, steering Phoenix to a well-deserved victory.

Moeen Ali and Ben Duckett delivered stylish half-centuries to propel Birmingham Phoenix to a five-wicket triumph at Sophia Gardens, dashing Welsh Fire’s hopes of reaching The Hundred Eliminator and elevating Phoenix to third place in the table.

Chasing a target of 147, the England duo forged a commanding opening stand of 114 from 73 balls. Moeen, in particularly impressive form, struck eight fours and a six in his 46-ball 60—his highest score ever in The Hundred—before being dismissed by a top edge off Matt Henry, caught by David Payne.

Moeen’s exit brought Jamie Smith to the crease. The England Test keeper made an immediate impact with 12 runs from his first three balls but was soon clean bowled by a sharp inducker from Haris Rauf.

Duckett’s Unbeaten 54 Secures Phoenix Victory as Abbott Shines with Four Wickets

Birmingham Phoenix secured a crucial five-wicket win, with Ben Duckett anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 54 off 31 balls. Despite losing Liam Livingstone, Dan Mousley, and Jacob Bethell in quick succession as they aimed to accelerate the game and boost their net run-rate, Duckett’s calm presence ensured Phoenix crossed the line with seven balls to spare. Benny Howell struck the winning runs, adding the finishing touch to a tense finish.

Earlier, Sean Abbott was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 4 for 16 and marking his second four-wicket haul of the season. His efforts restricted Welsh Fire to 146 for 8. Stephen Eskinazi contributed a solid 30 from 21 balls before being dismissed by Mousley, but the rest of the top-order faltered. Luke Wells was undone by an Adam Milne slower ball, while Joe Clarke and Tom Abell fell to Abbott’s precision bowling.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore ignited Welsh Fire’s innings with a brisk 54 from 32 balls, starting his innings with a boundary and quickly clearing the ropes off Benny Howell. His aggressive knock included five fours and a trio of consecutive boundaries off Tim Southee. However, his innings came to an end when he was dismissed by Sean Abbott, who later claimed his fourth wicket by having David Payne caught by Southee.

Matt Henry added some late fireworks with two boundaries off compatriot Adam Milne in the final over, but it was ultimately in vain as Welsh Fire’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stages were extinguished. Abbott, named the Meerkat Match Hero, reflected on his performance: “It was a little bit tricky to sum up the conditions at first, but it was about going back to basics and trying to hit the top of the stumps with change-ups and then going from there.

“It’s definitely a very relaxed vibe amongst the group and I feel like we portray that when we go out and play the game. We’re always trying to put pressure on the other team, no matter the situation, and we’ve done that pretty well the last couple of games. It feels like there’s a good balance at the moment and everyone’s playing their roles really well.”

Kieron Pollard Blitzes Rashid Khan to See Brave Home

In a historic first, the Afghanistan spinner became the inaugural bowler in The Hundred to concede six runs off each of the five balls in an over. Despite this notable feat, Southern Brave triumphed over Trent Rockets with a narrow victory. Southern Brave posted a total of 127 for 8, thanks to a crucial 45 from Pollard and Turner’s effective 3 for 24. In response, Trent Rockets managed 126 for 8, with Banton scoring 30 and Jordan claiming 3 for 22.

Kieron Pollard delivered a breathtaking display of power hitting to propel Southern Brave to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Trent Rockets at the Utilita Bowl, leveling his team with Oval Invincibles at the top of the table.

Pollard, struggling initially with just 6 runs from 14 balls, turned the game on its head by smashing Rashid Khan for five consecutive sixes in a single over. Though he was run out after a blistering 45 off 23 balls, Chris Jordan kept his composure, hitting the penultimate delivery for four to secure the win.

Southern Brave, initially cruising at 43 for 0 in their chase of 127, encountered a hiccup when Alex Davies was dismissed for a brisk 28 by Sam Cook and Andre Fletcher was bowled out by a Rashid googly. John Turner, who had been removed from his previous match for bowling beamers, redeemed himself with a superb spell, taking 3 for 24, including the key wicket of James Vince for 28. Pollard’s heroics then sealed the match for Brave.

Earlier, Tom Banton set a rapid pace for the Rockets, hitting Akeal Hosein for three fours and a six in his first 10 balls. Adam Lyth also contributed with two boundaries off Tymal Mills, but Banton (30 from 17) fell to Pollard at long-on off Danny Briggs, leading to a stuttering finish for the Rockets.

Lyth (16) was caught in the deep off Hosein, while Briggs had Alex Hales (15) stumped. Jofra Archer made a spectacular impact by dismissing Joe Root (16) with a leg-cutter that took a thick outside edge, which Davies spectacularly caught.

Mills’ third over proved costly, as he conceded three boundaries with Rovman Powell (16) and Lewis Gregory (19) looking poised to accelerate. Jordan managed to dismiss Powell before Archer, who ended with figures of 2 for 18, removed Gregory with a perfectly executed slower ball.

The Rockets could only muster 10 runs from their final 10 deliveries, finishing at 126 for 8. Jordan polished off the innings with the dismissals of Rashid and Luke Wood, ending with 3 for 22 and capping a superb bowling performance by the hosts.

Pollard, named Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I had to make a play at some point. I was really slow to start but I didn’t think it was a pitch where you could just come in and hit the ball, so I had to really try and calculate and pick my bowler.

“I’ve played against Rash a lot and he’s got me out a lot of times so I had to see what was happening but I knew the sort of line and length he was going to bowl. If he bowled full I was going to back my strength which is hitting straight and he bowled three fuller balls and it was right in my arc. I couldn’t stop at that point in time, I had to get maximum. Rash is a world-class bowler but this was just one of the days where I took victory.”