Southern Brave Dominate Birmingham Phoenix to Seal Comfortable Nine-Wicket Victory

Southern Brave continued their resurgence in The Hundred Men's Competition with a commanding nine-wicket win over Birmingham Phoenix at the Utilita Bowl on Sunday, capping off a double triumph for both Brave’s men’s and women’s sides against their Phoenix counterparts.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Brave’s decision paid immediate dividends as their bowling unit, led by a fiery Jofra Archer and a crafty Michael Bracewell, dismantled the Phoenix batting lineup. Archer, clocking speeds of up to 90mph, returned impressive figures of 2 for 16 from 20 balls, while Bracewell starred with the ball, claiming 3 for 10 in just 15 deliveries.

Birmingham Phoenix struggled to build any momentum with the bat, managing only 106 for 7 from their 100 balls. Joe Clarke was the lone bright spark in the innings, scoring 36 off 27 balls, but found little support from the rest of the batting lineup on what appeared to be a challenging pitch for stroke-making.

Southern Brave made light work of the modest target. Openers James Vince and Leus du Plooy put on a dominant partnership, combining for 77 runs and taking the game away from Phoenix. Vince contributed a fluent 41, passing the milestone of 1,000 runs in The Hundred—becoming only the third player to reach the landmark this season, following Nat Sciver-Brunt and Phil Salt.

After Vince fell with just 32 runs required, du Plooy (an unbeaten 48 from 39 balls) and Jason Roy calmly guided the hosts to victory with 14 balls to spare, finishing on 109 for 1.

Bracewell, who was named Meerkat Match Hero, praised the collective effort:

"Two from two and more of a complete performance. We played some great cricket and it is nice to get another win," he said.
"We spoke as a spin group about how to bowl. There are big boundaries here which is nice. The Hundred is fantastic, the crowds are amazing. Cricket has a long history here in England so it is great to be here. The weather is not what I was expecting, but I'll certainly take it. It's a beautiful day and we're happy with the result."

The win marks Southern Brave’s second victory of the season as they look to build momentum heading into the latter stages of the tournament.