The veteran New Zealand seamer, Tim Southee, made a crucial impact in the match between Trent Rockets and Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston, Birmingham in the Hundred 2024 on Monday. Southee, who is well known for swinging the ball both sides, bowled a fuller length ball to Tom Banton, which came back in sharply.
Banton missed his flick shot and the ball went on to hit his front pad. The umpire had no hesitancy in giving him out. Banton chose to not go for the DRS. The incident happened on the 9th ball of the Trent Rockets’ innings. Here’s a look at the video clip of the dismissal:
Southee displayed his experience early on in the innings. He went on to pick up another quick wicket and that was of Joe Root. As a result, Trent Rockets were rocked back early for 22 for 3 after just 29 balls.
Tom Southee helped Birmingham Phoenix beat Trent Rockets by 6 wickets
Earlier, Phoenix won the toss and elected to bowl first. Tom Alsop was the highest scorer for the Rockets with 51 runs off 37 balls. Imad Wasim chipped in with 29 runs off 29 balls. The rest of the batters could not even get to double digits as Rockets were all-out for 118 runs. Southee was the standout performer for Phoenix with 5 wickets in his bag. Chris Wood took 2 wickets , while Adam Milne picked up 1 wicket.
In reply, the Phoenix chased down the total in 93 balls with the loss of just 4 wickets. Ben Duckett scored 30 runs off 16 balls, while captain Mooen Ali scored 13 runs off 16 balls. Liam Livingstone played an uncharacteristic knock of 30 runs off 32 balls, while Jacob Bethell contributed 38 runs off 29 balls.
As for the Rockets, Luke Wood and John Turner picked up 2 wickets each.
Following the conclusion of the game, Southee praised his team’s performance. He noted how well the bowlers adapted to the conditions and that they were the stronger side throughout the match.
“It was a pretty good performance. I think the bowlers assessed the conditions well and then the way the batters went about it towards the end, Bethell and Livingstone knocked it around and chose great options. So, I think it was a pretty good all-round performance,” Southee said at the post match presentation.
He touched upon the team’s consistent performances, of late and stressed on the need to make a strong bond with the counterparts.
“I think we have had really good consistency over the last few games and have got to know each other a bit better. Obviously, Adam Milne and I have played a lot of cricket together, but for everyone else it’s great to have that experience of playing a few games together.
Birmingham Phoenix are currently sitting at fourth spot on the table with four wins in seven matches. They are scheduled to play their last league stage encounter against Manchester Originals on Thursday.
