Ben Duckett falls short as Phoenix beat Rockets by 10
Ben Duckett scored 49 as Trent Rockets fell 10 runs short chasing Birmingham Phoenix's 214-4 at Edgbaston in The Hundred 2026. Phoenix posted the second-highest total in tournament history and sealed a thrilling win as Scott Currie removed Tom Banton late with 29 still needed.
Key Takeaways
- Birmingham Phoenix beat Trent Rockets by 10 runs after posting 214-4, the second-highest Hundred total on record.
- Ben Duckett and Finn Allen put on 65 in 29 balls before both fell short of fifty, stalling the chase.
- The contest produced a Hundred-record 29 sixes and was the first game to clear 400 runs combined.
- Tom Banton's 67 from 32 balls kept Rockets alive until Currie struck with 29 needed off the last seven balls.
How did Ben Duckett and the Rockets start the chase?
Chasing 215, Rockets openers Finn Allen and Ben Duckett launched positively. The pair added 65 runs in just 29 balls, with Sky Sports noting they were unbroken on 54 after the powerplay and up with the rate.
Usman Tariq broke the stand when Allen skewed a lofted drive to Currie at long-on for 43. Duckett pushed on to 49 before Currie found his edge with a delivery that jagged off the pitch, leaving both openers just shy of half-centuries and the chase drifting in the middle phase.
Why did Phoenix's 214 prove decisive?
Joe Clarke (68 off 33) and Will Smeed (51 off 28) smashed 104 from 49 balls for the first wicket. After Clarke fell, Rehan Ahmed clubbed five sixes in a 25-ball 48, while captain Donovan Ferreira finished 22 not out from nine balls as the third-wicket pair added 63 from 22.
Per BBC Sport, Phoenix's 214-4 sat behind only Oval Invincibles' 226-4 last year. Rockets replied with 204-7. Calvin Harrison's 2-27 stood out on a night when bowlers struggled, and the home side's batting surge followed a contrasting women's fixture earlier, when Phoenix were bowled out for 64.
Who stopped Trent Rockets from pulling off the chase?
Tom Banton kept hope alive with a 32-ball 67, including a 26-ball fifty. Tariq also removed Tim David for 2, caught behind by Clarke, a key middle-overs blow as momentum faded.
Currie then held his nerve at the death, dismissing Banton when an unlikely 29 were still needed from the final seven balls. Phoenix closed out the 10-run win, injecting life into a men's competition that had seen a recent high of just 144 before this slugfest. More celebrity and sports breaking coverage is on the Celebrity Breaking News hub.
What happens next in The Hundred?
Saturday brings the first four-match day: Sunrisers Leeds face Southern Brave in the women's game at 11:00 BST, then the men at 14:30, with Welsh Fire and MI London also in action later. Live coverage continues across BBC and Sky Sports platforms.