Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire men, The Hundred, Edgbaston
Fire chase 139 to win by eight wickets remaining with 11 balls to spare
Both sides still have slim chance of reaching knockouts but need to win both remaining games and hope results elsewhere go their way
Fire 140-2 (89 balls): Smith 47* (36), Eskinazi 42 (29)
Phoenix 138-9 (100 balls): Bethell 38 (28); Green 3-27
Livingstone hits roof with six - then dismissed moments later
That’s it from us!
Make sure you read Sam Drury’s report as Welsh Fire kept their Hundred hopes alive with an eight-wicket win over Birmingham Phoenix.
We’ll be back tomorrow for a bumper day of Hundred action, with Northern Superchargers hosting Oval Invincibles (11:00 and 14:30 BST) and London Spirit facing Southern Brave (14:30 and 18:00 BST).
See you then!
It's a double dose of double headers on Saturday:
Ashwanth R Kavuluri
CricViz analyst
Welsh Fire: Top three successful Hundred chases:
Image source, Getty ImagesWelsh Fire batter Steve Smith speaking on Sky Sports: "I thought the bowlers did a really good job and took wickets throughout. They restricted them to a good total and built pressure."
On his role: "Stephen Eskinazi played really nicely and I played second fiddle. My job was to take the game as deep as possible and be there at the end."
On the tournament: "It has been fun. It was nice to spend some time in the middle and I have really enjoyed playing with the Fire."
Welsh Fire all-rounder Ben Kellaway speaking on Sky Sports on making his Hundred debut: "Delighted. Making my debut was special enough but to contribute the team was really nice."
On his first few weeks with the group: "An enjoyable first few weeks. The lads have been amazing. Results haven't gone our way but as a group it has been amazing."
On their game plan: "Just to enjoy it and embrace everything. It was nice to get some wickets and catches."
On the message to the group: "Keep playing hard cricket and doing the basics well. If we can win the last few games, we would love to get a spot at the top."
Ben Kellaway has been named player of the match after taking two wickets (2-10 from 15 balls), three catches (one off his own bowling) and running out Adam Milne.
An impressive debut from the Glamorgan all-rounder.
Image source, PA MediaWhat a day to be a Welsh Fire fan.
Earlier on, the women picked up their first win of the season, beating Phoenix by 36 runs.
And now, the men have kept themselves in the competition with an eight-wicket win of their own.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Daniel Norcross
Test Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Welsh Fire have been dominant tonight. They restricted Birmingham Phoenix well and Fire have finally gotten over the line.
Fire 140-2
Tom Abell hits Tim Southee for a streaky and Welsh Fire have chased 139 with 11 balls to spare.
Both Welsh Fire and Birmingham Phoenix remain in the competition but must win their remaining two games (and have a lot of results go their way) to reach the top three.
Need four runs
Four for Steve Smith. Fans are streaming out of Edgbaston. Not because of Smith, but because Phoenix are heading for defeat.
Ashwanth R Kavuluri
CricViz analyst
Batters strike rate vs spin tonight:
Need nine runs
Steve Smith finishes the set with a single and looks miffed. He wanted six.
14 runs off Adam Milne's five deliveries.
Need 10 runs
Steve Smith pings Adam Milne for six. That's his first boundary since the 35th ball of the innings, I think.
Ffion Wynne
BBC Sport cricket writer on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Perfect death bowling from Adam Milne. A good response to getting hammered for six in the previous set.
Jonny Bairstow has done his job in this chase.
Daniel Norcross
Test Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Jonny Bairstow gave a little nod of approval. He looks at his bat even though there was no bat on it.
Bairstow b Milne 35 (Fire 122-2)
Yorked! Jonny Bairstow is bowled by Adam Milne for 35. A good response from the bowler.
Bairstow looks annoyed with himself.
Need 17 runs
Jonny Bairstow needed almost no back swing then! He guides Adam Milne into the stands for six.
Josh Cobb
Former Northants batter on Radio 5 Sports Extra
It is so surprising that Birmingham Phoenix do not have a frontline spinner in their squad. Spin has been successful for Birmingham in the Blast so it is unusual that the Phoenix don't have one.
Having that mystery in the middle can give you wicket taking options.
Need 23 runs
Tidy from Tim Southee. Four runs conceded. He still has 10 balls left to bowl.
Need 24 runs
Welsh Fire have run smartly tonight.
Three runs off the first two deliveries of this set. Jonny Bairstow called early for his two and is aided by a misfield from Ben Duckett.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Smeed,caught Kellaway, bowled Green Smeed, caught Kellaway, bowled Green | 23 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 135.29 |
Duckett,bowled Meredith Duckett, bowled Meredith | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 71.43 |
Clarke,caught and bowled Kellaway Clarke, caught and bowled Kellaway | 24 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 200.00 |
Livingstone,caught Bairstow, bowled Singh Dale Livingstone, caught Bairstow, bowled Singh Dale | 16 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 177.78 |
Bethell,caught Kellaway, bowled Green Bethell, caught Kellaway, bowled Green | 38 | 28 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 135.71 |
Kimber,caught Green, bowled Kellaway Kimber, caught Green, bowled Kellaway | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 85.71 |
Howell,caught Payne, bowled Meredith Howell, caught Payne, bowled Meredith | 12 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 80.00 |
Milne,run out Kellaway Milne, run out Kellaway | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Southee,not out Southee, not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 100.00 |
Boult,bowled Green Boult, bowled Green | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 233.33 |
Extras, no balls 2, wides 4, byes 0, leg byes 0, total 6 Extras, no balls 2, wides 4, byes 0, leg byes 0, total 6 | |||||||
Total,138 for 9 100 balls Total,138 for 9 100 balls |
| Bowler | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payne | 20 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9.30 |
Meredith | 20 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7.50 |
Singh Dale | 10 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15.60 |
Zaib | 15 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7.60 |
Kellaway | 15 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.00 |
Green | 20 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8.10 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
12 for 1 (13 balls) | Duckett |
51 for 2 (32 balls) | Clarke |
58 for 3 (40 balls) | Smeed |
76 for 4 (49 balls) | Livingstone |
85 for 5 (60 balls) | Kimber |
124 for 6 (91 balls) | Howell |
124 for 7 (93 balls) | Milne |
130 for 8 (96 balls) | Bethell |
138 for 9 (100 balls) | Boult |
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eskinazi,caught and bowled Howell Eskinazi, caught and bowled Howell | 42 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 144.83 |
Smith,not out Smith, not out | 47 | 36 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 130.56 |
Bairstow,bowled Milne Bairstow, bowled Milne | 35 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 166.67 |
Abell,not out Abell, not out | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 200.00 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 5, leg byes 5, total 10 Extras, no balls 0, wides 0, byes 5, leg byes 5, total 10 | |||||||
Total,140 for 2 89 balls Total,140 for 2 89 balls |
| Bowler | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boult | 15 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11.20 |
Milne | 15 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12.80 |
Wood | 10 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.80 |
Howell | 20 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.10 |
Livingstone | 15 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8.80 |
Southee | 14 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.71 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
72 for 1 (46 balls) | Eskinazi |
122 for 2 (82 balls) | Bairstow |
