What we witnessed at Leeds was a professional all-round display from Northern Superchargers as they outplayed Birmingham Phoenix by 36 runs to go top of the points table. Northern Superchargers were determined to win and they did it in some style. Batting first, they rode on Dawid Malan’s half-century, Zak Crawley’s 45 and a finishing act from captain Harry Brook to post 193/5 in 100 balls with most of Birmingham bowlers going for runs.
While defending the score, Superchargers rode on Matthew Potts’ 3-wicket haul alongside Jacob Duffy, Adil Rashid, and Tom Lawes 2-wickets apiece to restrict Birmingham Phoenix to 157/9 in 100 balls despite a couple of 40s from captain Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell. Birmingham with this loss slipped to bottom of the points table below Manchester on Net Run Rate.
Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley & Harry Brook power Northern Superchargers to 193/5
Put into bat first, Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan came out to open the batting for Northern Superchargers while Trent Boult had ball in his hand for Birmingham Phoenix. Boult started with a miserly first set while Tim Southee was introduced to bowl the next set. Malan greeted him with consecutive boundaries to make his intentions clear. Crawley got into the act as he thumped Boult for a boundary. Adam Milne was introduced into the attack and he was hit by Crawley for a boundary followed by a maximum.
Boult continued to bowl the last set of powerplay as Crawley hit him for a maximum followed by two boundaries as Boult overstepped. The free hit ball also went for a boundary and so did the following ball as 25 runs came off this set. Northern Superchargers at the end of 25 balls of powerplay were 57/0 and racing away. Benny Howell was introduced into the attack post the powerplay as he gifted away 5 wides to the batting side.
Captain Liam Livingstone brought himself into the attack and got rid of Zak Crawley for 45 off 23 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Liam delivered a leg break from over the wicket which seemed to have held in the surface before spinning away not viciously but enough to evade Crawley’s brash slash as the keeper did the rest as the batter was way down the track. Michael Pepper came out to bat next and got off the mark. Malan hit Livingstone for a boundary showing his class.
Liam bowled back-to-back sets as Malan hit a reverse sweep to him for a boundary. Chris Wood came into the attack now. Wood bowled a tidy set. Malan hit Howell for a boundary before getting off strike. Michael Pepper joined in the fun as he hit a boundary off Howell as well through backward point. At the end of 50 balls at the halfway stage of the innings, Northern Superchargers were 94/1.
Malan launched Livingstone into the stands over deep midwicket for the maximum as the 100 came up for Superchargers in 53 balls. Malan continued his merry ways as he hit Chris Wood for a boundary. Soon, the 50-run stand came up between the duo. Malan reached his fifty off 28 balls by hitting a boundary off Howell. Milne came back into the attack as Pepper hit him for a boundary. Southee came back and was greeted by Pepper for consecutive boundaries. But the Kiwi veteran hit back getting rid of Pepper for 28 off 21 balls with 4 fours to his name.
Southee bowled a back of a length delivery at the stumps slower ball, Pepper stepped down the track and swung his bat across the line. He mistimed it straight up in the air as Duckett at long-on settled underneath it to take an easy catch. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next and got off the mark with a maximum playing the dilscoop. After 75 balls, Northern Superchargers were 145/2.
Malan hit Livingstone for another boundary through covers. Chris Wood came back and dismissed Malan for 58 off 34 balls with 7 fours and a six to his name. He bowled a length ball outside off with pace off from over the wicket. Malan shuffled far too across the stumps and looked to play the ramp shot by using the pace of the ball. Wood took the pace off as Malan failed to clear Southee at short fine leg who took a simple catch. David Miller came out to bat next and was gone first ball for a golden duck as Wood had 2 in 2 balls.
Wood bowled a length ball around middle and leg stump, Miller looked to flick it away on the leg side. Replays showed he missed the bat and the two sounds were off the two pads. Three Reds as Miller reviewed it but it was against all hope. Miller burnt a review as well. Daniel Lawrence came in and negotiated the hat-trick ball by getting off the mark. Lawrence got his first boundary away by hitting Milne for a boundary while Brook hammered Milne for a boundary as well.
Harry Brook was in the mood as he took on Chris Wood hitting him for a boundary and then the maximum over deep midwicket. Lawrence did not want to fell left out as he hit a maximum by swatting Wood away. Boult came to bowl the final set of the innings and got rid of Lawrence for 15 off 7 balls with one four and one six to his name. Boult bowled short of a good length around fourth stump slower ball. Lawrence hung back and drove it crisply off the back foot. He hit it flat and hard but failed to clear the fielder in the deep where Will Smeed at deep cover point leapt and took a good catch. Mitchell Santner came in next and got off the mark straightaway.
Brook managed to get a couple of twos off the last two balls as Northern Superchargers finished with 193/5 in 100 balls. Brook remained unbeaten on 31 off 14 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name while Santner remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 15 extras gifted by the fielding side.
Chris Wood picked up 2/34 in 20 balls. Trent Boult picked up 1/42 in 20 balls. Tim Southee picked up 1/23 in 10 balls. Liam Livingstone picked up 1/32 in 20 balls. Adam Milne went for 28 runs in 15 balls while Benny Howell went for 29 runs in 15 balls. It meant Birmingham Phoenix needed a mammoth 194 runs off 100 balls.
Matthew Potts’ 3-wicket haul restricts Birmingham Phoenix to 157/9
Chasing 194 for the win, Will Smeed and Ben Duckett came out to open the batting for Birmingham Phoenix while Jacob Duffy had ball in hand for Northern Superchargers. Duffy got the ideal start as he dismissed Will Smeed for 1 off 2 balls. Duffy bowled a short of a length outside off, Smeed looked to pull but he got cramped up and miscued the ball towards mid-on. Potts ran back from the ring and dived to pluck out a cracking catch. Joe Clarke came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Matthew Potts came into bowl the next set and was greeted by a boundary from Ben Duckett. Duckett hit him for another boundary before Potts hit back getting rid of Duckett for 11 off 7 balls with two fours to his name. Full delivery from Potts angling into middle stump, Duckett wanted to heave it through midwicket but missed it. The appeal was made and the umpire raised the finger. Duckett reviewed it and it showed umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. The review was retained but Duckett had to go. Liam Livingstone came out to bat next.
Clarke hit Duffy for a boundary. He then hit Potts for another boundary before Potts hit back to get rid of Clarke for 13 off 9 balls with 2 fours to his name. Clarke bowled a short of a length outside off, Clarke attempted to pull but he skied it to mid-on where the fielder took a simple catch. Jacob Bethell came out to bat next. Liam Livingstone launched Jacob Duffy for consecutive sixes in the last set of powerplay. At the end of 25 balls of powerplay, Birmingham Phoenix were 41/3.
Adil Rashid came onto bowl after the powerplay and bowled a miserly set. Mitchell Santner came into the attack as Bethell joined the party by hitting him for a boundary. Daniel Lawrence was introduced next as Bethell once again got the placement right and earned himself another boundary. Bethell then decided to take Santner downtown and smash him for a hat-trick of sixes to put pressure back on the fielding side. Tom Lawes came into the attack next as Livingstone hit him for the maximum to end the 10th set. At the halfway stage of the set, Birmingham Phoenix were 90/3 in 50 balls requiring a further 104 runs off 50 balls.
Adil Rashid came back into the attack and was greeted with a boundary from Bethell. Bethell hit another boundary to end that set as the 100 came up for Birmingham in 55 balls. Potts came back and delivered a tidy set to get the asking rate upwards. Bethell once again hammered Rashid for a boundary but the veteran leg spinner hit back getting rid of Bethell for 48 off 23 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Bethell tried to play a pre-meditated shot by getting down on one knee and tried to unfurl a slog sweep. But the ball got extra bounce off the surface as the ball was a top spinner. He got the top edge and flew over the umpire’s head. There was no mid-on and mid-off back so Rashid ran for it himself and completed a tumbling catch almost at the edge of the circle. Louis Kimber came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Kimber hit Santner for a boundary as he continued to leak runs. Tom Lawes came back into the attack and kept things tight even as Livingstone got a boundary away towards long-on and midwicket. After 75 balls, Birmingham Phoenix were 124/4 requiring a further 70 off 25 balls. Kimber once again managed to get a boundary away off Santner. Livingstone launched Adil Rashid for a maximum over wide long-on but the veteran spinner hit back getting rid of Phoenix skipper for 46 off 31 balls with one four and 4 sixes to his name.
Rashid darted in quicker flatter through the air outside off, Livingstone wanted to muscle it over long-on but could not clear Santner stationed in the boundary line. Benny Howell came to the crease next and got off the mark as well. Lawes got into the wicket-taking act getting rid of Kimber for 14 off 12 balls with 2 fours to his name. Lawes bowled a full toss outside off, Kimber stood deep in the crease and slammed it towards Brook at wide mid-off. He had to dive forward and took it inches from the ground. Adam Milne came to the crease next and got off the mark with a brace.
Lawes in the same set got rid of Benny Howell for 1 off 3 balls. Short length outside off from the bowler, Howell had to slash and he did and sent the ball to Duffy at deep backward point. He made no mistake in taking the catch. Tim Southee came in next and got off the mark as well with a brace. Milne used the long handle and hit a maximum off Potts. Potts hit back hard getting rid of Milne for 9 off 5 balls with a maximum to his name.
Back of a length delivery from Potts aimed at the body, Milne swiped across violently to get a top edge. The ball flew in the direction of the fine leg and wicket-keeper Michael Pepper was quick to get there to settle and took the catch. Trent Boult came out to bat next. Boult got off the mark as well. Jacob Duffy was given to bowl the final set as Southee decided to have fun launching him over midwicket for the maximum. But Duffy hit back and got rid of Southee for 8 off 5 balls with a maximum to his name.
Full and straight ball, Southee stood with his front leg cleared and tried to heave it leg side and failed to lay bat on ball. Southee reviewed for the sake of it and ball-tracking confirmed that it was crashing into the stumps. Chris Wood came out to bat at 11 and played out the last ball. He remained not out on 0* while Boult remained unbeaten on 1. Birmingham Phoenix finished with 157/9 in 100 balls losing the game by 36 runs. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Matthew Potts was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/26 in 20 balls. Jacob Duffy bowled well for his 2/31 in 20 balls. Adil Rashid was excellent in his 2/26 in 20 balls. Tom Lawes bowled well for his 2/23 in 15 balls. Mitchell Santner had a rare off day as he finished with 0/44 in 20 balls while Daniel Lawrence bowled 5 balls for 7 runs. So, Northern Superchargers with this win climb up to first in the points table with 12 points from 4 games while Birmingham Phoenix slide to bottom of the table with 4 points from 4 games. Adil Rashid for his excellent bowling was awarded Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.
Super Saturday today in Hundred 2025 meaning we will have a double-header for you. First up, it’s Trent Rockets hosting Southern Brave at Trent Bridge, Nottingham at 7PM IST where both teams have 8 points from 3 games and are in 3rd and 4th as we speak. This will be followed by Oval Invincibles the defending champions hosting Welsh Fire at the Oval in London. Oval are in second place with 8 points from 3 games while Welsh Fire have got 1 win in 3 games and are placed in 6th place as we speak.
So, double the action, double fun and drama as Hundred 2025 heats up with teams jostling for positions and players looking to impress one and all with each passing day. Let’s see how the tournament unfolds from here on.
Also Read: Hundred 2025: Jamie Smith’s Impressive Half-Century Leads London Spirit To An Important Win