Summary

  • Brave ease to seven-wicket win over Spirit

  • Birmingham Phoenix men end Trent Rockets' 100% record

  • Smeed gets Phoenix off to thrilling start with 36 off 13 balls

  • Rockets 144-6 - Malan 51, Hales 38

Live Reporting

Jack Skelton

  1. Rockets 66-2

    Benny Howell sends down a knuckleball that [insert name of baseball pitcher you've never heard of] would be proud of.

    The Rockets are stalling here. The last boundary was 20 balls ago.

  2. Rockets 61-2

    Big appeal for caught behind against Dawid Malan off Benny Howell.

    Nothing doing though.

  3. 50 balls to goBBC Sport

  4. Rockets 61-2

    Moeen Ali keeps himself on and concedes just two runs from his next set of five.

    Spin to win at Edgbaston today?

  5. Next batter: Samit Patel

    Samit PatelBBC/ECB

  6. Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Two

    The problem with the way Malan is playing, is that he forces Hales to go harder and play the big shots too soon.

  7. wicket

    WICKET

    Hales c Smeed b Moeen 38 (Rockets 59-2)

    Big, big wicket.

    Alex Hales steps back to try and mash it over cover but sends it skywards instead off Moeen Ali.

    Will Smeed steadies himself and pouches it cleanly.

    Has Dawid Malan's customary slow start forced Hales into a big shot there?

  8. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Two

    Moeen Ali has kept them quiet and Dawid Malan doesn't look comfortable against the spin.

  9. Rockets 56-1

    Fine reply by Imran Tahir after getting hit for that six. Just three runs off his next five balls, with Alex Hales looping a top edge off a sweep that lands safe.

  10. Always rains in London.

    Meanwhile, Tahir is getting another set of five.

  11. Unfortunately the covers are on at Lord's as rain stops play in the women's match between London Spirit and Southern Brave in The Hundred.

    London Spirit are currently 20-1 off 18 balls. Tammy Beaumont has seven off five balls, while fellow opener Deandra Dottin has yet to score off eight balls. Extras is the current top scorer with 12.

    The only wicket to fall is that of Naomi Dattani who was run out for one by Amanda-Jade Wellington after trying to take a quick single to mid-on.

  12. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Two

    The best catch I have ever seen which wasn't a wicket.

  13. 6 runs

    Rockets 53-1

    Out? Six? Out? Six?

    Six! Dawid Malan gets just enough of a booming shot off Imran Tahir to clear the rope.

    Pat Brown did actually snaffle a brilliant diving catch - but he landed over the boundary.

    No chance to throw it back to a team-mate there.

  14. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir and his flowing locks enter the fray.

  15. Just a giant Moeen Ali placing his fielders where he wants them by hand...

    MoeenGetty Images

  16. Rockets 45-1

    Benny Howell enters the attack and keeps it tight, conceding just four runs - all in singles - from his first five balls.

  17. 75 balls to goBBC Sport

  18. Michael Vaughan
    Former England captain on BBC Two

    We're starting to see the pitches in this competition are taking spin, and players just need to adapt.

  19. Rockets 41-1

    Sublime. That sweep shot from Alex Hales brought a fielding change from Birmingham Phoenix.

    So next up, Hales rocks back to cut through a gap that has now opened up for four more.

    Hales was the top runscorer in the 2021 Big Bash in Australia. He could well end up top runscorer in The Hundred at this rate.

  20. Rockets 37-1

    Alex Hales is bang in form.

    He's had a sighter of Moeen Ali and knows exactly what he wants to do next.

    The Rockets opener shuffles across to give himself room to sweep past the fielders for four.