Birmingham Phoenix secured a five-wicket victory over Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens, with Moeen Ali and Ben Duckett delivering impressive half-centuries that ended Welsh Fire's hopes of reaching The Hundred Eliminator and lifted Phoenix to third place in the standings.
Chasing a target of 147, the two England left-handers, Moeen and Duckett, put together a strong opening partnership of 114 runs in 73 balls. Moeen struck eight fours and a six during his 46-ball 60, his highest score in The Hundred, before top-edging a delivery from Matt Henry to David Payne.
Following Moeen's departure, Jamie Smith joined the crease and made a quick impact with 12 runs from his first three deliveries, but he was soon clean-bowled by a Haris Rauf inducker. Liam Livingstone, Dan Mousley, and Jacob Bethell fell in rapid succession as Phoenix sought to finish the match quickly and improve their net run-rate. However, Duckett remained composed, guiding his team to a crucial win with an unbeaten 54 off 31 balls. Benny Howell sealed the victory with the winning runs, with seven balls to spare.
Earlier in the match, Australian all-rounder Sean Abbott starred with the ball for Phoenix, taking 4 for 16, his second four-wicket haul of this season's Hundred. His efforts helped restrict Welsh Fire to 146 for 8. Stephen Eskinazi made a solid contribution with a 21-ball 30 before being clean-bowled by Mousley, but the rest of Fire's top-order struggled. Luke Wells was undone by an Adam Milne slower ball, while Joe Clarke and Tom Abell were both dismissed by Abbott.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore provided a spark for Welsh Fire, smashing 54 from 32 balls, including five boundaries and a six, but his efforts were not enough to keep Fire's playoff hopes alive. Abbott capped his performance by dismissing Kohler-Cadmore and later had David Payne caught by Tim Southee. Although Matt Henry struck two boundaries in the final over, Fire fell short, and their chances of advancing were extinguished.
Abbott, named the Meerkat Match Hero, commented on the game, saying, "It was tricky at first to gauge the conditions, but it was about sticking to the basics, hitting the top of the stumps with variations, and building from there. The team has a relaxed vibe, and we’ve been applying pressure on the opposition effectively in recent games. There’s a good balance in the squad, and everyone is playing their roles well."