*THE MENS HUNDRED COMPETITION- WELSH FIRE VS BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
Birmingham Phoenix, sitting at the bottom of the table with a single loss against their name and two no results haven’t quite started their campaign on the right note. Though the rain has played it’s cruel part, the management of the team has been poor. They were beaten by the Manchester Originals by 49 runs in the opener, followed by a game that was abandoned totally and then a disappointing batting performance where 5 wickets fell while batting first. Moeen Ali first and then Benny Howell in sequence, both captains have failed to get their acts together and the teams results are there to show for it. As the Phoenix head towards their fourth game of the season, a win is all they will be searching for.
The Welsh Fire on the other hand, have 3 points to their name with a win against their win, a close loss and a thriller of a game that made sure that the Hundred of this season got its first tied game. The entry of Shaheen to their setup has been nothing short of beautiful with the left armer bowling rockets and trapping the batters right in front. He has been able to get the first over wickets that has helped his side get the powerplay advantage and keep the momentum going for the rest of the game as well. A tied game, undoubtedly, raised concerns because things tend to get tighter with time and in an extremely competitive competition like this one, the Welsh Fire would love to get back on track after two games where they have lost from winning positions. This game is expected to be a cracker with two sides searching for wins to stay in the hunt.
*WELSH FIRE PROBABLE XI:*
Luke Wells, Joe Clarke (wk), Stephen Eskinazi, Tom Abell (c), Glenn Phillips, David Willey, Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, David Payne, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Luke Wells has been striking gold for the Fire this season. He already has over 130 runs this season with two half centuries to his name, where one of them came in a winning cause whereas the other one came in a tied match cause. Things have, so far, gone extremely well for him with the left handed batter using his levers really well to dominate bowling lineups. It only makes sense why he’d be backed to come good again, this time with Welsh trying to push for their second win of the season after a close tied game last time.
I’m quite excited to see the prospect of Shaheen batting as the skilled lefty has shown his big potential with the bat in the PSL for the Qalandar (batting at 6) and has a few impactful cameos to his name while batting for Pakistan as well. In case a collapse occurs, the Welsh Fire should not shy away from exposing Shaheen against Birmingham, who are still searching for their first win. A few lusty blows at the backend could well spoil their party and in the case of Shaheen, it’s only a bonus with his explosive swinging bowling already.
*BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX PROBABLE XI:*
Will Smeed, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Dan Mousley, Shadab Khan, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Tom Helm, Kane Richardson
Ben Duckett, freshly inducted into the squad after a succesful Ashes stint has scored 44 runs so far with a high score of 34, a knock that included three fours and 1 six. The southpaw would be keen on making the stage his own with a knock of a lion and what better than to play it when the team is in huge trouble with zero wins so far.
Benny Howell would be keen upon leading from the front again after picking up a three-fer the last time he stepped on the field. The 34 year old showed his experience and class with a spell that comprised of leaking just 21 runs off 20 and getting the big gun Laurie Evans back in the hut.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR WELSH FIRE:*
Highest run getter- Luke Wells/Glenn Phillips
Highest wicket taker- Shaheen Shah Afridi/Haris Rauf
*FOR BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX:*
Highest run getter- Ben Duckett/Moeen Ali
Highest wicket taker- Kane Richardson/Adam Milne
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Welsh Fire to win