Birmingham Phoenix will have enough motivation to go for a big win when they clash against Manchester Originals in the last league game of the 2024 Men's Hundred at Edgbaston on Thursday. Phoenix are in fourth position with five wins from seven matches but a victory against the Originals could take them to the top of the table which essentially means a direct entry to the final. On the other hand, the Originals are out of the race of the knockouts and have lost six of their seven matches this season.

Disclaimer: All stats updated till end of Match 29 of the 2024 Men's Hundred

LAST 5 MATCHES

MANCHESTER ORIGINALS: L L L W L

BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX: W L W W W

THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR ORIGINALS & PHOENIX

MANCHESTER ORIGINALS likely XI

Batters: Wayne Madsen, Max Holden

Allrounders: Jamie Overton, Sikandar Raza

Wicketkeeper: Phil Salt, Matthew Hurst

Bowlers: Scott Currie, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Usama Mir, Josh Hull, Sonny Baker

BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX likely XI

Batters: Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell

Allrounders: Moeen Ali, Dan Mousley, Benny Howell

Wicketkeeper: Jamie Smith

Bowlers: Sean Abbott, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Chris Wood

Statistical Performance (Birmingham Phoenix)

1. BEN DUCKETT

Ben Duckett has been in menacing form with the bat at the top of the order for Phoenix. He is the second-highest run-getter of the tournament with an aggregate of 240 runs in just 5 innings at a strike rate of 175.2!

BEN DUCKETT IN THE 2024 MEN'S HUNDRED

INNINGS - 5

RUNS - 240

AVERAGE - 80

STRIKE RATE - 175.18

50/100 - 2/0

2. TIM SOUTHEE

Tim Southee has been the standout bowler for Phoenix this season with 13 wickets at an economy of just 6.6!

TIM SOUTHEE IN THE 2024 MEN'S HUNDRED

INNINGS - 7

WICKETS - 13

STRIKE RATE - 10.7

ECONOMY RATE - 6.6

AVERAGE - 11.84

Players Who Can Make a Difference (Birmingham Phoenix)

1. SEAN ABBOTT

Sean Abbott is the second-highest wicket-taker for Phoenix in the competition with 9 wickets at an economy of 7.61. He could be a handful on the helpful wicket at Edgbaston.

2. ADAM MILNE

Adam Milne has raw pace which could trouble the opposition batters on the fast wicket in Birmingham. He has picked 7 wickets in as many matches at an economy of 8.13.

Statistical Performance (Manchester Originals)

1. PHIL SALT

Phil Salt has produced two high impact performances in his last two outings for the Originals. He blasted a brilliant 61 off just 28 deliveries against Superchargers in Manchester just a few days after hammering 58 off 41 against London Spirit. Salt is the leading run-getter for the Originals this season.

PHIL SALT IN THE 2024 MEN'S HUNDRED

INNINGS - 7

RUNS - 216

AVERAGE - 30.85

STRIKE RATE - 148.96

50/100 - 2/0

2. USAMA MIR

Usama Mir has been the most restrictive of the Originals' bowlers with an economy rate of 7.7.

USAMA MIR IN THE 2024 MEN'S HUNDRED

INNINGS - 7

WICKETS - 6

STRIKE RATE - 20

ECONOMY RATE - 7.7

AVERAGE - 25.66

Players Who Can Make a Difference (Manchester Originals)

1. FAZALHAQ FAROOQI

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the leading wicket-taker for the Originals 7 dismissals in as many matches in the tournament at a strike rate of 16.1 and economy of 8.92.

2. MATTHEW HURST

Wicket-keeper batter, Matthew Hurst is the second-highest run-getter for the Originals this season with an aggregate of 149 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 163.7.

Venue and Pitch

Edgbaston in Birmingham has hosted 14 matches in the Men's Hundred with the honours being shared equally by the team batting first and the team chasing - both have won 7 matches each. The captain who has won the toss has elected to bat first on only three occasions which showcases that chasing is the preferred option at the venue. The team which has won the toss has won 6 matches for a win probability of 42.85%.

The average score batting first at the venue is 151 but the average score chasing is just 123 which shows that batting second is not easy in Birmingham! Edgbaston is a happy hunting ground for the fast bowlers with the best bowling strike rate for the pacers amongst all grounds in The Hundred. The spinners haven't quite enjoyed bowling in Birmingham and have the worst economy rate at the venue.

Head to Head Record

Interestingly, it is Manchester Originals who have won all their three encounters against Birmingham Phoenix and that too by convincing margins!

MATCHES PLAYED - 3

ORIGINALS WON - 3

PHOENIX WON - 0

MATCH PREDICTION

Form and momentum make Phoenix the favourites despite the lopsided head to head record against the Originals. Phoenix have a stronger bowling unit and conditions in Birmingham will suit their pacers. Phoenix have a 65% chance of winning the encounter.

FANTASY XI

Our fantasy XI includes Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell as batters and Phil Salt and Hurst as the wicket-keeper batters. The all-rounders will be Overton and Raza while the fast bowlers will be Southee, Abbott, Farooqi and Milne. The captain will be Southee while the vice-captain will be Abbott.

The reserve batter will be Wayne Madsen while the back-up bowler will be Scott Currie. The back-up all-rounder will be Moeen Ali

GFX 9

HEADER: Fantasy XI

Fantasy XI:

Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Matthew Hurst

Batters: Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell

Allrounders: Jamie Overton, Sikandar Raza

Bowlers: Tim Southee (C), Sean Abbott (VC), Adam Milne, Fazalhaq Farooqi

BACKUP PLAYERS:

BATTER – Wayne Madsen

BOWLER – Scott Currie

ALL-ROUNDER – Moeen Ali

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