The Southern Brave men's side finally breathed a sigh of relief in The Hundred after a dramatic chase of 129 runs against the Birmingham Phoenix, turning a tentative start into a last‑over showdown that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The atmosphere in the stadium shifted dramatically as the innings progressed, moving from a subdued murmur to a full‑throttle roar when Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan and Luke Wood delivered decisive blows in the final moments. Securing their inaugural win after four attempts, the Brave remain very much in the mix for the knockout phase, now level on points with the Phoenix.
The latter will be left to ponder how they allowed what seemed at the midway point to be a manageable chase to unravel in a cascade of wickets. Birmingham began cautiously but managed to post 52 for the loss of one wicket after 47 deliveries. That solid foundation was quickly shattered when three wickets fell in rapid succession, flipping the momentum.
Will Smeed attempted a lofted drive to send Wood soaring over the boundary but was caught at long‑on. Immediately after, Rehan Ahmed, who had just dismissed Jordan for a six, mistimed a powerful slog, sending the ball to the outer edge where Archer, sprinting from long‑on, pounced on the chance.
The Brave’s captain, Donovan Ferreira, stepped up his own attack but was clean bowled by Archer, who swung across the stumps to leave the Phoenix reeling at 65 for 4, still needing 64 runs from the remaining 39 balls. A brief partnership between Laurie Evans and Mitchell Owen offered a glimmer of hope, but Marcus Stoinis broke through, inducing a nick from Evans.
Shortly after, Adil Rashid dismissed Owen, bowled off the edge, and the Phoenix had lost five wickets in just 30 deliveries. Stoinis proved to be the pivotal figure for the Brave in both innings. With the bat, he injected much‑needed energy into a shaky chase, dispatching Scott Currie for two consecutive sixes—the second travelling an astonishing 98 metres. Stoinis himself amassed 34 runs before being caught by Ferreira at short cover, a catch that many commentators later described as one of the tournament’s highlights.
With the ball, Stoinis delivered a tight spell of ten consecutive deliveries conceding only three runs, building relentless pressure that precipitated the Phoenix collapse. The match was part of a busy day of Hundred action, which also saw SunRisers Leeds defeat the Phoenix by 45 runs, Phoebe Litchfield record the fastest half‑century in the women’s competition, Sikandar Raza’s cameo propel MI London to a derby win, and Trent Rockets continue their winning streak with Jos Buttler making history for Manchester Super Giants. In another highlight, Ben Duckett starred as the Rockets beat SunRisers Leeds, while Rashid Khan claimed a five‑wicket haul for MI London. As the Brave’s chase entered its final 15 balls, the result was still very much in the balance.
Archer delivered a stunning final five‑ball spell, conceding just two runs and reducing the required total to 29 from the last ten balls. Sean Dickson then struck two sixes off Jordan, but it was Luke Wood who kept his composure, taking two crucial wickets and executing a sharp run‑out of Rashid. These decisive moments ensured the Brave edged home by a margin of 12 runs. "We needed that win," said Marcus Stoinis, the Brave’s match‑hero.
"Batting first, you never really know what a good total looks like. Even if the pitch isn’t ideal, you have to convince yourself to stick to a game plan." He added, "When you bowl, especially on a surface like this, it’s all about subtle variations in pace and maintaining consistency." Looking ahead, Manchester Super Giants will host the Trent Rockets on Friday, with the women's fixture scheduled for 3 p.m.
and the men's game at 6:30 p.m., both broadcast live on Sky Sports. Fans can also watch The Hundred and other contract‑free cricket on the NOW platform, with a recommendation to use Chrome for optimal video playback.