In this article, we will discuss the rain-shortened 32nd match of The Hundred Men’s Competition, where Birmingham Phoenix secured a dominant nine-wicket victory over Manchester Originals at Edgbaston. Due to bad weather, the game was shortened to 30 balls a side, and Manchester Originals struggled to reach a respectable score of 41 for 5. Birmingham Phoenix easily reached the mark and secured their spot in the Eliminator, thanks to a brilliant bowling performance from Adam Milne (2 for 8).
.
In a rain-shortened, 30-ball showdown, Birmingham Phoenix turned Edgbaston into their playground, crushing Manchester Originals by nine wickets. The Originals’ batting resembled a weather report—dull and overcast—scraping together just 41 for 5, thanks to Adam Milne’s stormy spell of 2 for 8. Phoenix, on the other hand, treated the chase like a walk in the park, with Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 22* sealing the deal in just 22 balls. Milne, the meteorologist of mayhem, rightly walked away with the Player of the Match honors for his thunderous bowling.
Birmingham Phoenix secured their spot in The Hundred Eliminator against Southern Brave with a commanding nine-wicket win over Manchester Originals in a shortened match at Edgbaston. Chasing a modest target of 42, they reached it comfortably, setting up the crucial clash at The Kia Oval on Saturday.
Despite a rain-delayed start that reduced the match to 30 balls per side, Phoenix, led by Moeen Ali, emerged victorious. Jamie Smith’s explosive start, which included two sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the first five balls, set the tone for an aggressive chase.
Farooqi managed to contain the scoring slightly in his second set, but Ben Duckett then took charge. He hammered Tom Aspinwall’s opening delivery for six and followed it up with three boundaries in four balls, even as rain intensified in Birmingham. The umpires were resolute in their decision to continue the match.
Sikandar Raza caught Smith at cover off Scott Currie, dismissing him for 14, but Duckett (22*) and Moeen (6*) completed the job coolly. With eight balls remaining, Moeen hit a six over excellent leg to complete the victory.
Earlier, after opting to bowl first, Birmingham Phoenix made an immediate impact. New Zealand’s Adam Milne struck in his first set, removing Matthew Hurst with a mistimed shot that was comfortably caught by Liam Livingstone at mid-on.
Tim Southee, another Kiwi in the Phoenix ranks, saw Phil Salt launch him into the stands, while Max Holden edged one over short third-man to take the Originals to 15 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. By the midway point, Originals were struggling at 22 for 2, with Salt (12) falling to Milne after an awkward cross-bat shot landed in Livingstone’s safe hands.
Sean Abbott further dented the Originals’ innings by dismissing Paul Walter (1) with a catch at deep cover, reducing them to 24 for 3. Holden, who had been swinging freely, managed a fortunate boundary off Southee but was soon out, caught by Livingstone again, this time at mid-off.
The innings wrapped up with Chris Wood delivering a tight final set, giving away just three runs and picking up the wicket of Raza, who was caught by Jacob Bethell at deep midwicket. The Originals managed only one six in their innings, ending on a disappointing 41 for 5.
With just 42 runs needed for victory, Phoenix cruised to the finish line, ensuring they would meet Southern Brave in South London, while Northern Superchargers, under Andrew Flintoff’s debut season as head coach, settled for a fourth-place finish.
Manchester Originals (Men) – 41/5 (30/30 balls)
Birmingham Phoenix (Men) -42/1 (22/30 balls)
Result – Phoenix won by 9 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
Player of the match – Adam Milne
Adam Milne
Manchester Originals | Phil Salt, Matthew Hurst, Max Holden, Paul Walter, Jamie Overton, Sikandar Raza, Tom Hartley, Wayne Madsen, Tom Aspinwall, Scott Currie, Fazalhaq Farooqi |
Birmingham Phoenix | Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Dan Mousley, Jacob Bethell, Benny Howell, Sean Abbott, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Chris Wood |
Visit JeetBuzz News to access our Highlights that are just for you and reminisce about all of your favorite cricket nostalgia moments while being thrilled by our solid Cricket Highlights updates. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!
BAN vs WI (2nd Test) – Highlights In a thrilling Test match, BAN triumphed over the WI by 101 runs in the second Test
PS-W vs MR-W (11th Match) – Highlights In this article, we will discuss the 11th match of the Women’s Big Bash League between Perth
BH-W vs HH-W (10th Match) – Highlights In this article, we will discuss the thrilling Women’s Big Bash League clash between Brisbane Heat Women