Birmingham Phoenix will meet Southern Brave in The Hundred Eliminator at The Kia Oval on Saturday after a nine-wicket victory over Manchester Originals.
In a match reduced to 30 balls per side amid inclement conditions, Moeen Ali’s hosts came out on top to earn themselves the point they needed to secure a top-three finish.
Phoenix chased down their target of 42 with ease, Jamie Smith depositing Fazalhaq Farooqi over the boundary twice in the first five balls to set the tone for the chase.
After a quieter second five from Farooqi, Ben Duckett smashed Tom Aspinwall’s first ball for six and then hit three of his next four to the boundary as the rain teemed down in Birmingham, the umpires remaining unmoved, determined to see the game to a result.
Smith was caught on the cover boundary for 14 by Sikandar Raza off Scott Currie, but Duckett (22 not out) and Moeen knocked off the remaining seven runs required with eight balls to spare, the skipper securing the win with a six off Currie over fine-leg.
Winning the toss and bowling first, Birmingham Phoenix struck early, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne removing Matthew Hurst from the second legal delivery of the match when the young Lancastrian skied a chance to Liam Livingstone at mid-on.
Milne’s fellow Kiwi Tim Southee took the second set and was immediately smashed into the stands by Phil Salt. He was then sliced over short-third by Max Holden from the final ball of the powerplay as the Originals took their score up to 15-1.
At the halfway point of the innings, the Originals were 22-2, Salt (12) mistiming a cross-bat shot off Milne from the 15th ball of the innings to give Livingstone his second catch of the evening.
Sean Abbott then accounted for Paul Walter (1), caught at deep cover, to make it 24-3. Holden (15) continued to swing hard, the left-hander top-edging Southee for another boundary, but his luck soon ran out when he failed to go over mid-off as Livingstone held onto a third catch.
Chris Wood closed out the innings, conceding just three runs and taking the wicket of Raza caught by Jacob Bethell at deep midwicket. Originals closing on 41-5, hitting just one six in their innings.
Phoenix had just 42 to chase to earn a trip to South London and they did it with ease, ensuring Andrew Flintoff’s first year as Northern Superchargers Head Coach would end with a fourth-place finish
Player of the match: Adam Milne
“To come out of the shortened game and into The Hundred Eliminator is very good for us,” said Milne, who took 2-8.
“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.
“Anytime it’s moving around off the straight it’s nice. There’s been lots said but as a bowler it’s nice to have a little bit going your way sometimes in these shorter formats, there can be flat wickets and not much movement, so it’s nice to see a bit of swing and seam occasionally.”
Phoenix Women and Originals Women share spoils in rain-ruined abandonment
Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Originals concluded their 2024 campaigns in The Hundred with a rain-ruined abandonment as the teams were forced to share the points.
Both teams would have been keen to end on a high after disappointing seasons but the weather rolled in with the Phoenix on 98 for two, and settled in thereafter.
For Ellyse Perry in particular it was a frustrating end to a campaign that saw the Phoenix, as with the Originals, finish outside the top three.
Perry was the dominant figure of the play that was possible, batting beautifully to reach 45 from 39 balls, but with Perry and Amy Jones in the midst of building a useful partnership, the weather cut them off in their prime with 30 balls still remaining in their innings.
Earlier, Lauren Filer bowled with pace and fire to remove Sterre Kalis for 18, and Phoebe Graham picked up Fran Wilson for 18, but that was as good as it got for the Originals.
What’s next?
The Hundred continues on Saturday August 17 with an Eliminator between Oval Invincibles Women and London Spirit Women from The Kia Oval on Sky Sports Cricket from 1.45pm and Sky Sports Main Event at 2.30pm.
Then it’s the Eliminator between Birmingham Phoenix Men and Southern Brave Men on Sky Sports Cricket from 5.30pm.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
