Birmingham Phoenix vs Welsh Fire, Edgbaston
Birmingham Phoenix 184/5 in 100 balls (Smeed 65*; Payne 3-38) beat Welsh Fire 91 in 74 balls (Ian Cockbain 32; Tahir 5-25) by 93 runs. Player of the Match: Imran Tahir.
Birmingham Phoenix climbed to the top of the points tale with a comprehensive 93-run victory over Welsh Fire at Edgbaston. Fifties from Will Smeed and Moeen Ali propelled Phoenix to 184/5 before Imran Tahir wrapped up things with a hat-trick.
This was the fourth successive defeat for the Fire. They were never really in the game. Chasing such a daunting target, they needed a fluent start from their openers. But Tom Banton got out for a four-ball duck to Adam Milne.
Imran Tahir struck twice in the space of four balls, getting the better of Glenn Phillips and Leus du Plooy, to reduce the Fire to 55/4. He then finished the game on his own, removing Qais Ahmad, Matt Milnes and David Payne on successive deliveries to complete his hat-trick.
Earlier in the game, Will Smeed got the Phoenix off a flier. Finn Allen’s dismissal brought Moeen on the crease. Moeen made 59 off just 28 deliveries, while Smeed remained unbeaten on 65. They added 92 for the second wicket. Liam Livingstone contributed with a vital cameo, scoring 31 off 19.