Birmingham Phoenix will meet Southern Brave in the men’s Hundred eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday after thrashing Manchester Originals by nine-wickets in a rain-hit clash at Edgbaston.
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.
Ben Duckett also 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.
After winning the toss and bowling first, Birmingham struck early as 17/1 Match Hero Adam Milne removed Matthew Hurst from the second legal delivery of the match when the young Lancastrian skied a chance to Liam Livingstone at mid-on.
Adam Milne tipped at 17/1 by Richard Mann here
Milne’s compatriot Tim Southee took the second set and was immediately smashed into the stands by Phil Salt. He was then sliced for four by Max Holden from the final ball of the powerplay as the already-eliminated Originals took their score up to 15 for one.
At the halfway point of the innings, the Originals were 22 for two, 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, caught at deep cover for one, to make it 24 for three. 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 – as the Originals closed on 41 for five after hitting just one six.
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.
