Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit Prediction: Don’t skip a bet on the Phoenix skipper at 9/2

This is pretty much a case of drinking in last-chance saloon for the Phoenix while the Invincibles are going ok, making this an important match when they meet on Sunday afternoon, start time 18:00, live on Sky Sports Cricket. 

Jamie Pacheco talks us through his analysis and his tip for the match with his Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit Prediction...    

*You can check out all of our Cricket Odds over at betfred.com

Birmingham Phoenix  

The Phoenix are rock bottom and were it not for that brilliant knock from Liam Livingstone in midweek, things would be even worse: they could have been 0 from 4 rather than 1 from 4.  

They came nowhere near chasing the Superchargers' 193/5 on Friday, falling 36 runs short. Livingstone was good again with 46 off 31 while Jacob Bethell finally played a good knock as well with 48 off 23 but his dismissal eliminated any chance of coming close to a successful chase.   

The gamble of picking three Kiwi pacers so far hasn't really paid off and there's no classy spinner to mop up the mess if they start poorly with the ball.  

Duckett carries on struggling but for the time being at least, they're happy to carry on playing and hope he fires eventually.  

London Spirit  

The Spirit are mid-table with two wins from four so are still very much in it.  

On Friday they set the Rockets 163 to win but defended it pretty easily in the end with a real team effort from the bowlers.  

Earlier, Jamie Smith was promoted to open and hit 52 off 34. It was a good move because David Warner and Kane Williamson at the top of the order was just asking for trouble, given they can struggle to hit boundaries and rotate the strike at the beginning.  

Ashton Turner was also good with 30 off 16 but Ollie Pope at number five looks an odd choice and maybe this isn't the format for him at all.  

Pitch and conditions. 

The Edgbaston pitch was a belter when the Phoenix chased 181 in midweek with that match-winning knock from Livingstone.  

150 should be seen as the bare minimum batting first but both sides would probably prefer chasing.    

Key Odds

The Phoenix are 8/11, implied probability 58% while the Spirit are 11/10-, which is 47.6%.  

Normally the Spirit would have been of interest at those prices, given they're one win better off and have plenty of class in their Top 6. But the Phoenix have a 4-0 record against them and that can't be ignored. Then again, we don't like the Phoenix as favourites, so best leave this one alone.  

*You can check out all the latest and live Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit Odds over on betfred.com

Birmingham Phoenix Top Batsman  

Livingstone has so far top-scored in two of his side's matches with 39 not out and 69 not out respectively, while his 46 last time out was only just beaten by Bethell's 48.  

After two matches, he made the decision to come in at four rather than five, a smart move given that in this format, there's not much point holding back your best players because they may not get the chance to bat at all.   

With Duckett so badly out of form at the top of the order and no-one else in great nick, that 9/2 is a pretty good price.  

Birmingham Phoenix Top Bowler  

None of that Kiwi pace trio of Milne, Southee and Boult have got to six wickets for the season, the only player managing that being Englishman Benny Howell, who has exactly six.  

That makes him just about the pick for to bowler honours at 7/2 but Luke Wood at 5/1 is also very capable. 

Jamie Pacheco Cricket Hundred P/L 2025: 

• Points Staked: 14
• Points Returned: 12.75 
• Current P/L: -1.25  

Jamie Pacheco predominantly covers Cricket and European Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out his Cricket Betting Tips, along with those from the rest of the team, at our Cricket hub page...