3 Birmingham Phoenix Players who could end up with most runs in The Hundred Men’s Competition 2021
Based in Edgbaston, Birmingham Phoenix are one of the eight franchise teams set to battle hard for supremacy in the inaugural edition of The Hundred, starting July 22. Led by prominent England and Warwickshire all-rounder Moeen Ali, the team will be eyeing the maiden 100-ball competition title.
The tournament will see Phoenix play eight matches during the league stage – four at home, four away. They’ll play one game each against other seven teams and have an additional encounter against their nearest regional rivals. If they finish among the top 3, the Pheonix will get a chance to enter the playoffs and potentially fight for the coveted trophy in a marquee final at Lord’s on August 21.
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While a lot will depend on the bowlers in a newly introduced format further cramped to just 100 balls per innings, the focus will also be on batters as they’ll be required to put on the accelerator a lot earlier than a T20 match and retain their explosiveness without compromising on consistency.
With that in mind, we had a look at some of Birmingham Phoenix batters and tried to identify who among them could possibly finish at the top of the run-charts for the season. The team seems dependent quite heavily on local talent, although the inclusion of Finn Allen does boost their overseas contingent too.
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Moeen Ali will be captaining Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2021
Which Birmingham Phoenix batsman could end as The Hundred’s top run-getter?
1. Liam Livingstone
Been on the fringes of the England’s mighty white-ball side, Livingstone will have a chance to strengthen his case via The Hundred this season. The talented Birmingham Phoenix right-hand batsman has also been in very good form in the ongoing T20 Blast for Lancashire.
He has made 254 runs from his 5 innings at a fantastic strike-rate of 141.89 while maintaining an average of 63.50. His tally includes a top score of 94 not out off 58 balls versus Derbyshire.
2. Finn Allen
Allen, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, who has carried a certain sense of anticipation around him for a while, will also be seen plying his trade for Birmingham Phoenix in the inaugural The Hundred. Allen made an eye-catching start to his international T20I career earlier in the year when he blasted the hapless Bangladesh attack to all parts in Auckland.
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Allen hasn’t had the best of times in the T20 Blast this summer playing for Lancashire, with only 245 runs from his 10 innings at an average of 27.22 and a low-key strike-rate of 138.41. But the batsman can prove impactful for Birmingham Phoenix at his best, something reflective in his overall T20 numbers: an average of 37.82 and strike-rate of 170.58 over 26 matches.
3. Moeen Ali
Captain Ali will be entering The Hundred with a point to prove to the selectors after being sidelined for a lengthy period from England’s T20I playing XI. The all-round cricketer can be devastating for opposition bowlers at his best. He has produced some memorable knocks for RCB and CSK in the IPL.
Ali struck 206 runs from his 5 innings of IPL 2021 before the tournament was brought to a halt in early May. And though the all-rounder hasn’t had much time in the middle in recent weeks, he’ll be up and running for Birmingham Phoenix with whom he has additional responsibility on his shoulders.