Phoenix overcome chaotic collapse to beat Fire
Birmingham Phoenix survive a dramatic collapse to edge past Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens.
Birmingham Phoenix survived a chaotic collapse to edge past Welsh Fire with a five-wicket win at Sophia Gardens.
Phoenix were cruising in pursuit of 147, adding an opening stand of 114 between Moeen Ali and Ben Duckett – before slipping from 133-1 to 138-5.
With just 15 needed from 20 balls and nine wickets in hand, Phoenix lost three wickets in five balls to ignite hopes of the most unlikely Fire victory.
Jamie Smith was bowled by Pakistan seamer Haris Rauf, Liam Livingstone was run out by David Willey and Dan Mousley was pinned lbw first ball.
But England Test opener Ben Duckett, who watched the drama unfold from the non-striker’s end, held his nerve to finish 54 not out and see Phoenix over the line with seven balls to spare.
Moeen’s sublime 60 from 46 balls set Phoenix up for the win, ensuring the result was always weighted in their favour despite the madness in the final stages.
Earlier, Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 54 from 32 balls set up Fire’s 146-8, but they lost wickets regularly and struggled to build enough partnerships to post a threatening score.
Fast bowler Sean Abbott was named Match Hero for his 4-16.
The win takes Phoenix to third in the table, and they need to win their remaining two games to keep their qualification hopes in their own hands.
Fire are not mathematically eliminated but their hopes of finishing in the top three are very slim, needing to win their last game against Southern Brave and for the teams above them to lose their remaining games.
What else do you need to know?
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Welsh Fire were well-placed for a competitive score at 119-4, before Glenn Phillips’ dismissal saw the home side slip to 134-8.
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Phoenix then produced a fine effort at the death as Fire only managed 27 runs from the last 20 balls.
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Moeen and Duckett added a chanceless 114 for the first wicket, as Fire took 73 balls to make the first breakthrough.
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The Phoenix lost four wickets for five runs in seven balls in a calamitous finish before Benny Howell calmed the nerves with the winning boundary.
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What is happening on Sunday?
There are two more double-headers taking place on Sunday, with Oval Invincibles taking on London Spirit (women’s game at 11:00 BST and the men’s at 14:30) and Manchester Originals facing Northern Superchargers (women’s game at 14:30 BST and the men’s at 18:00).
You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
