Having won last time out to effectively stay in the competition, Birmingham Phoenix need to rise to the task once again, this time at the Ageas Bowl against Southern Brave.
The Phoenix turned the table on its head by beating Oval Invincibles on Sunday.
But they know they face an almighty test against the Brave who just 24 hours earlier had cruised to an astonishing nine-wicket win against Welsh Fire.
Southern Brave vs Birmingham Phoenix Tips
Team news
James Vince missed out for the Brave last time out due to illness, while Chris Jordan is also a doubt.
For the Phoenix, Tanveer Sangha replaces Shadab Khan in the matchday squad.
Birmingham Phoenix to win @ 20/21
Birmingham are back in the Hundred and nicely rebooted can show they are not done yet by beating the Southern Brave in Southampton.
The Phoenix were under enormous pressure taking on the mighty Invincibles at Edgbaston on Sunday but dealt with the pressure seriously well.
Jamie Smith’s brutal 60 off 33 balls helped the West Midlanders get up to 160-8 and they had very little trouble defending the score.
An injury to Oval mainstay Jordan Cox helped but Birmingham’s top three seamers, Chris Woakes, Adam Milne and Kane Richardson, went for just 71 off their combined 59 deliveries.
And the Oval side’s attempted assault on slowies Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone never materialised, Birmingham cruising to a 41-run win.
Southern Brave will be a tough adversary and they themselves are buzzing straight off an astonishing nine-wicket win over Welsh Fire.
Tymal Mills claimed only the second hat-trick in the men’s Hundred as the Welsh franchise was skittled for a paltry 87, the returning Jonny Bairstow among their several big-name flops. Finn Allen scored a quick 31 before Devon Conway, 35 not out, and Leus du Plooy, 17 not out, saw them through to victory with 41 balls in hand.
Birmingham Phoenix need to win all of their three remaining games to have any chance of making the play-offs and should be trusted to tick off the first one at the Ageas Bowl.
Finn Allen top Brave runscorer @ 4/1 & Ben Duckett top Phoenix runscorer @ 18/5
Given the shortage of balls in the Hundred it doesn’t pay to look too far down the cards for a potential top runscorer bet, though there are definitely a couple of value picks in the Brave’s Finn Allen and Birmingham’s Ben Duckett.
Kiwi opener Allen began the campaign with a solid 28 against the Rockets and 21 against the Fire, and on Saturday produced a cultured 31 off 22 balls as the Brave took care of the Welsh Fire once again.
Ben Duckett, a late returnee to Birmingham after Ashes duties, has already landed the odds once this season with his undefeated 34 against Northern Superchargers. The England opener looked in great nick against the Invincibles on Sunday with a well-made 23 and again appears overpriced.
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