Lockie Ferguson shone with the ball as his 3/20 helped Trent Rockets beat home side Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Lockie Ferguson led from the front as his incisive bowling restricted the home side Birmingham Phoenix to 122/6 which was a below par score at Edgbaston.
In reply, Tom Banton‘s 43 off 29 balls alongside Rehan Ahmed’s 25 and Max Holden’s unbeaten 22 made sure that the visitors got over the line in 78 balls and won the contest with 22 balls remaining. Phoenix were outplayed by Rockets in Edgbaston.
Lockie Ferguson’s 3/20 restricts Birmingham Phoenix to 122/6
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Birmingham Phoenix openers Will Smeed and Ben Duckett came out to open the batting. David Willey bowled the first set and got a wicket straightaway as he got rid of Duckett for a silver duck. Willey bowled a length delivery at off-stump, Duckett came across and looked to ramp it away but got it off the inside edge that cannoned back into the stumps. Aneurin Donald came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Akeal Hosein came to bowl the second set and he got rid of Will Smeed for 1 off 3 balls. From around the wicket, Akeal bowled a length ball around off-stump. Smeed went for a sweep but got it off the upper half of his bat and ballooned up in the air. Sam Cook took a simple catch at fine leg. Joe Clarke came out to bat next while Donald hit the first boundary of the game off Hosein.
Samuel James Cook came onto bowl the next set and bowled a decent set. Lockie Ferguson came into the attack and he struck as well getting rid of Donald for 6 off 6 balls with a boundary to his name. Fullish delivery angling in at off and middle stump. Donald covered his off-stump and looked to flick. The ball swung in and hit his front pad. Donald was late to signal for DRS and he had to walk back to the hut. Jacob Bethell came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Clarke hit Willey for a boundary to break the shackles a little bit. After 25 balls of powerplay, Birmingham Phoenix were in a spot of bother at 24/3. But another wicket fell as a miscommunication between Clarke and Bethell resulted in Bethell getting run out for 5 off 7 balls. Bethell came charging down for the single and was rightly sent back by his partner. Liam Livingstone came out to bat next.
Marcus Stoinis came out to bowl the next set and Livingstone took him on by hitting him for a boundary. Joe Clarke also hit him for a boundary as some momentum came into the innings. Akeal Hosein bowled a decent set while Rehan Ahmed was introduced into the attack. Livingstone broke the shackles by hitting Rehan for a maximum. The 50 came up in 46 balls for the home side as after 50 balls at the halfway stage Birmingham Phoenix were 54/4.
Lockie Ferguson bowled a decent set as he was hardly giving anything away. Liam Livingstone broke the shackles by launching Hosein for maximum over long-off. Livingstone was in the groove as he hit Stoinis for a maximum as well. Willey bowled a decent set giving away just 3 runs. Cook also kept it tight as runs were coming in singles and twos. After 75 balls, Phoenix were 85/4.
Stoinis bowled a decent 16th set while Ferguson came back and got rid of Liam Livingstone for 39 off 30 balls with a boundary and 3 maximums to their name. Ferguson bowled a length delivery outside off. Livingstone swung at it but lost his shape and mistimed it up in the air. Max Holden settled underneath it at wide long-off and took the catch easily. Dan Mousley came out to bat next. Ferguson got another in the over as he got rid of Joe Clarke for 30 off 34 balls with 2 boundaries to his name.
Ferguson bowled a short of a length with pace off the ball on the middle stump, Clarke rode the bounce to slap it away and mistimed it and offered Ferguson a return catch. Ferguson took it and got his third wicket. Benny Howell came out to bat next. Mousley hit Cook for a boundary and followed that up with a maximum as the 100 came up for the home side in 90 balls.
Mousley then hit Ferguson for another boundary through deep cover. Mousley survived a LBW shout in the last set as the ball pitched outside leg stump. Howell hit a maximum off Stoinis while a brace was taken to end the innings. After 100 balls, Birmingham Phoenix made 122/6 with Benny Howell remaining unbeaten on 13 off 8 balls with a maximum under his name and Dan Mousley on 18* off 10 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
Lockie Ferguson was the pick of the bowlers for Trent Rockets finishing with 3/20 in 20 balls. David Willey picked up a wicket in his 1/15 in 15 balls while Akeal Hosein finished with 1/25 in 20 balls. There was also one run out in the innings. Samuel James Cook bowled miserly for his 0/18 in 20 balls. It meant that Trent Rockets needed 123 runs to win off 100 balls.
Tom Banton’s 43 leads to an easy win for Trent Rockets
Chasing a target for 123 for the win, Tom Banton and Joe Root came out to open the innings for the Rockets. Trent Boult started the set and Root hit him for a boundary to get himself going while Boult gave away 4 leg byes as well. Adam Milne came to bowl the next set and conceded 5 wides to the Rockets. Banton hit Boult for a boundary and the batter got a fortunate boundary as well to end the set. Tim Southee came into the attack and bowled some beauties to Banton before getting rid of Joe Root for 6 off 10 balls with a boundary to his name.
Southee bowled a good length delivery around leg, Root made room for himself and swung the bat across the line. He got beaten on the inside edge and the ball crashed into the leg stump. Rehan Ahmed came out to bat at 3. Banton greeted Southee and launched him for the maximum over deep forward square leg. Banton was not done yet as he hit another maximum over deep backward square leg for the maximum as Trent Rockets raced to 40/1 after 25 balls of powerplay.
Rehan Ahmed got into the act as he smashed Adam Milne for the maximum over fine leg. Banton then hit Boult for another maximum over deep backward square leg. Rehan Ahmed tore apart Tim Southee as he hit for consecutive boundaries before getting a reprieve as Boult dropped him at fine leg off Southee. Rehan added salt to the wounds as he smashed Southee away for a boundary. Benny Howell though he had got Banton but Banton reviewed and got the decision changed in his favour.
Howell then got rid of Rehan Ahmed for 25 off 16 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. Howell bowled a length ball around off with pace off the ball, Rehan made room for himself and thrashed it aerially and hit it flat and hard. Mousley at deep cover point fence took the catch by pointing upwards the finger. Max Holden came out to bat next. After 50 balls at the halfway stage, Trent Rockets were 77/2 needing 46 off 50 balls.
Adam Milne bowled a decent 11th set but there was no pressure on the batting side as such. Banton got a streaky boundary off Howell before Howell hit back getting rid of him for 43 off 29 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name. Short ball around off from the bowler with no pace on the ball. It was there to be hit to which Banton rocked back and pulled it flat and hard to hit it straight to the fielder at deep midwicket who made no mistake. Marcus Stoinis came out to bat next.
Holden hit Howell for hat-trick of boundaries to relieve all the pressure from the batting side as the 100 came up for the visitors in 65 balls. Dan Mousley was introduced into the attack and was crunched through covers for a boundary by Holden. Stoinis hit Southee for the maximum but the veteran bowler hit back getting rid of Stoinis for 7 off 5 balls with a maximum to his name. Southee banged it in short into the wicket around off, Stoinis hopped and looked to pull it away on the on side. He mistimed it as he got a top edge which went straight up in the air. Mousley ran forward from deep midwicket and took a good running catch. Adam Hose came out to bat next.
Hose hit Milne for a boundary over mid-off and then hit another boundary two balls later to hit the winning runs through fine leg as Trent Rockets got over the line by 6 wickets with 22 balls to spare. Max Holden remained unbeaten on 22 off 13 balls with 4 boundaries to his name while Adam Hose remained unbeaten on 9 off 5 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
Tim Southee got a couple of wickets to his name for his 2/36 in 20 balls while Benny Howell got 2/25 in 20 balls. The rest of the bowlers remained wicketless and went for runs as well. So, a win for Trent Rockets by 6 wickets with 22 balls to spare and for his great bowling effort, Lockie Ferguson was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead.
Two games coming up on The Hundred 2025 on Super Saturday. First up it’s Oval Invincibles taking on Manchester Originals live from the Oval in London at 7 PM IST which will be followed by Welsh Fire up against London Spirit from 10:30 PM IST live from Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
So, double the action and double the fun over the weekend on Hundred 2025 as the superstars will be keen to put on a show for all of us.
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