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A stunning display of consistent hitting from Birmingham Phoenix’s top order propelled them to a statement 10-run win against Trent Rockets at Edgbaston on Friday night.
The Rockets, chasing 215 for victory, briefly threatened to make history at The Hundred, treating a Rockets home crowd to a slugfest that saw 29 sixes in both innings.
At the end of the powerplay, Rockets’ openers Ben Duckett and Finn Allen scored 54 unbeaten runs and led the way with the loss. Phoenix needed their Pakistan overseas star Usman Tariq to undo the partnership, a diagonal lofted drive from Allen was caught by Scott Curry at long-on.
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Craig Overton took a stunning catch on the boundary off the dangerous Will Schmidt just after reaching his fifty.
Dockett continued to push, only for Curry, a £210,000 purchase for Birmingham, to produce a beautiful delivery that raced down the pitch to find the edge.
With both openers falling just shy of a half-century, the Rockets lost pace in the middle third.
Tariq deployed the full range of his impressive repertoire to keep the Rockets in check, the key moment in their chase, with Clarke dismissing the dangerous Tim David for just 2 runs. Tom Banton’s brilliance of 67 off 32 balls at the death was not enough to get it done, as the Rockets finished 10 runs short.
The Phoenix assembled a strong batting line-up which was truly unbeatable on the Edgbaston pitch. Clarke and Will Schmidt nailed the powerplay, scoring 54 off the first 25 balls and both registering half-centuries, Clarke’s 33-ball 68, with seven fours and four sixes, a stroke-making masterclass.
After his dismissal for 104, Rehan Ahmed went on to hit five sixes, either side of a ruthless cameo from skipper Donovan Ferrera, whose nine-ball stand included a club-high of three to take his innings tally to 17, the joint-highest in tournament history. A sign of Phoenix’s collective brilliance: Schmid’s strike rate of 182 for 51 off 28 balls was the lowest among their top six.
The home crowd was treated to a pair of innings of 29 sixes
Meerkat hero of the match Joe Clarke said: “We got license at the top of the order with our strength depth, we got the team off to a good start and then the big hitters came in at the end and gave us extra momentum.”
Referring to overseas star Usman Tariq’s wicket-keeping, he added: “It’s interesting! I’ve had him in the nets for the last couple of days, trying to work out which ball is which, so it’s going to be a hell of an experience through the tournament. He’s quality, and a very good ball from him for 20 nights.”
What next?
Saturday’s Hundred double header comes from Headingley when Sunrisers take on Leeds Southern Braves.. The women’s game starts at 11 am, while the men’s match starts at 2.30 pm. Watch both games live on Sky Sports. Watch The Hundred and more now contract-free
