Trent Rockets 147/4-143/7 Birmingham Phoenix (The Hundred Men)
County stars Alex Hales and Samit Patel put the knowledge of their home ground to good use as the Trent Rockets got off to a winning start in this year’s The Hundred competition with a comfortable win over Birmingham Phoenix.
After electing to field first, the Rockets struck early when Will Smeed was caught by Hales off the bowling of Daniel Sams with the total on 14 after 12 balls. Miles Hammond and skipper Moeen Ali then put on 53 off only 31 deliveries, before home skipper Lewis Gregory had Moeen caught for a well-made 35 off 21 balls, with one four and three sixes.
Patel-Hales combined to dismiss Hammond for 28 (off 19), but only England player Liam Livingstone impressed after that with a sparkling 47 off 28 deliveries, with five maximum hits.
Luke Wood (0 for 20 off 20), and Sams (3-24 off 20), bowled well, but it was the contributions from Gregory, with a superb 1 for 8 off ten deliveries and the reliable Patel with 2 for 12 off 15 balls, which helped keep the Phoenix total down to 143 for 7 after the allotted 100 balls.
The Rockets lost Dawid Malan early on bowled by Moeen for eight, but New Zealander Colin Munro came in and bludgeoned five fours and two sixes in a 22-ball 36 before falling with the total on 61 off 38. Hales added 52 with the Kiwi, and then a match-winning 79 off 54 balls with former England skipper Joe Root.
Having reached fifty off 36 balls, Hales eventually fell caught for 58 off 41 (five fours and two sixes), and Tom Kohler-Cadmore went second ball, but Gregory came in and smashed a four with three balls remaining to give Trent Rockets a six-wicket win. Root remained unbeaten on a calm and assured 34 off 26 deliveries.
The Rockets next play the Northern Superchargers at Leeds on Tuesday.
Trent Rockets: Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Colin Munro, Joe Root, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Lewis Gregory (c), Samit Patel, Daniel Sams, Rashid Khan, Luke Wood, Matthew Carter.
Birmingham Phoenix: Will Smeed, Miles Hammond, Moeen Ali (c), Liam Livingstone, Chris Benjamin, Dan Mousley, Benny Howell, Graeme van Buuren, Tom Helm, Kane Richardson, Imran Tahir.
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
*Article provided by Hitesh Darji (Cricket Correspondent)
*Main image @TrentBridge Alex Hales was in typical sumptuous form.
