Smeed sends Phoenix to top
Somerset’s Will Smeed smashed 45 off 28 balls to help Birmingham Phoenix successfully chase down the highest total of The Hundred so far to help them move to the top of the men’s standings.
After being set 172 by Oval Invincibles last Wednesday, Smeed opened with Finn Allen (23) before Moeen Ali (49) an Chris Benjamin (37*) pushed Phoenix over the line.
Trent Rockets still had it in their hands though and remained ahead with a six wicket win over Welsh Fire on Friday. Somerset’s Tom Banton made just five to open for Fire as they reached 139-8 before county teammate Lewis Gregory ended unbeaten on 22 as he and Samit Patel (46) got Rockets over the line with ten balls to spare.
After the game Gregory said: “It is obviously a reasonably short competition in terms of cricket comps and it is obviously vital to get off to a really good start. We couldn’t have asked for a huge amount more really. We’ve been pretty clinical with the ball throughout and got the job done with the bat when needed to. And the nice thing is that it is different guys sticking their hands up throughout the competition when we are needing them to.
“Wahab is obviously a clinical performer across the world for a number of years. To have his services we are obviously very lucky and very fortunate. He performed really well at the end and it is the difference between chasing 140 and 155 or something like that if it had got away from us a the back end. That could be the difference in games like that.”
However, Rockets missed the opportunity to extend their lead further after losing by nine runs to the Invincibles on Sunday. Faced with chasing 125 in 65 balls, Gregory was once again unbeaten this time on 28 but the Rockets were nine runs short on 116 come the end.
This allowed Phoenix to go level and above on run rate on Monday after a comprehensive win over Welsh Fire. This time Smeed topscored with 65 as Phoenix set 184 before a duck for Banton set the tone for Welsh’s reply as they were skittled for 91 as Imran Tahir claimed a hat-trick.
In the women’s competition, despite losing to Manchester Originals on Thursday, Southern Brave remain top of the standings.
Western Storm’s Anya Shrubsole and Fi Morris made a combined one run between them as former teammate Stafanie Taylor remained unbeaten on 28 as Brave set Originals 123 to win, which then became 80 from 70 once the Duckworth/ Lewis method was applied. Originals had managed 97 that point, only losing Emma Lamb to a run out by Shrubsole.
Brave returned to winning ways though on Saturday, again via Duckworth/lewis, by seven wickapril, ets over Northern Superchargers. Superchargers made 76 in 73 balls before Brave amassed 89 in 62 to claim the victory, despite a duck for Taylor.
Elsewhere, Storm’s Sophie Luff and Georgia Hennessey scored a combined 20 runs as Fire were beaten by four wickets against Rockets.
Katie George and Alex Griffiths both score one run each as Fire scored 102, which Rockets managed to reach with eight balls remaining.
Fire were also beaten by Phoenix in a ten wicket mauling. Again the Storm ladies failed to find runs as Luff (7), Hennessey (2) and George (0) all fell cheaply in Fire’s 127, which Phoenix caught up to without losing a wicket.
Tuesday saw the double header between Manchester Originals and London Spirit. Somerset’s Roelof van der Merwe finished unbeaten on 11 as Spirit ended on 142 which, despite county teammate Tom Lammonby’s 27, Originals were unable to match as they finished six runs short.
In the women’s match, Heather Knight claimed 1-20 before topscoring with 35 as Spirit chased down Originals’ 127, Storm teammate Danielle Gibson added seven runs from three balls before her departure as the last wicket to fall.