Phoenix Cruise to Seven-Wicket Win Over Originals on Tricky Old Trafford Pitch
Birmingham Phoenix sealed a dominant seven-wicket win over Manchester Originals at Emirates Old Trafford, chasing down a modest target of 110 with 17 balls to spare in The Hundred men’s competition. The victory lifts Phoenix to fourth in the table, although their hopes of reaching the knockout stages were dashed following their loss to Welsh Fire two days earlier.
Despite being out of the race for the playoffs, Phoenix turned in a disciplined all-round performance, with Ben Duckett (49* off 38) and Joe Clarke (40 off 21) starring in a match-winning 72-run stand off 45 balls.
Originals Struggle on Sluggish Surface
After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Originals made a brisk start with Phil Salt smashing 31 off 20 balls, including two sixes off Trent Boult. But the innings unraveled quickly after Ben McKinney was bowled by Liam Patterson-White for 2, and Salt was caught at long-on by Duckett off Jacob Bethell.
Captain Jos Buttler managed only 5 before being trapped lbw by Liam Livingstone, who returned impressive figures of 2 for 11. Despite a battling 34 from Heinrich Klaasen, the hosts couldn’t accelerate on a slow pitch that favored the Phoenix spinners. Klaasen eventually fell in the deep off Chris Wood (2 for 11), as Originals crawled to 109 for 7, suffering their fifth defeat in seven matches and slipping to the bottom of the table on net run rate.
Clarke and Duckett Power Phoenix Chase
Phoenix lost Will Smeed early for 13, caught behind off Sonny Baker, but Joe Clarke counterattacked immediately, hammering three consecutive boundaries off Josh Tongue and lifting Ish Sodhi for a slog-swept six. Duckett, initially cautious, upped the tempo with 14 off Sodhi’s second set.
Though Tongue struck back with the wickets of Clarke and Liam Livingstone, the damage had already been done. Duckett remained unbeaten, guiding Phoenix to 113 for 3, sealing the win in style.
Match Hero Speaks
Joe Clarke, who was named Meerkat Match Hero, said:
“I feel in good rhythm and have good confidence, so it was nice to contribute to a win. The pitch had been used a few times so it was slightly on the slower side. Once the seamers came on, I could inject pace into it.”
Speaking on his partnership with Duckett, Clarke added:
“We wanted to stick to our strengths. He’s a very good player of spin and hits pace really well. We’ve played together for a long time, so it was great to be out there in the middle with him.”
Match Summary:
Manchester Originals: 109/7 (Klaasen 34, Salt 31; Livingstone 2-11, Wood 2-11)
Birmingham Phoenix: 113/3 in 83 balls (Duckett 49*, Clarke 40)
Result: Phoenix won by 7 wickets
Meerkat Match Hero: Joe Clarke