Will Smeed hit the first hundred in the Hundred as Birmingham Phoenix thrashed reigning champions Southern Brave by 53 runs in a sun-soaked Second City.
On NHS Heroes Night at Edgbaston, with NHS workers and support staff invited along as a thank you for their brilliant work, a 14,000 crowd was royally entertained as Smeed socked an unbeaten 101 (50 balls) to lift his side to 176 for four.
The visitors replied with a paltry 123 all out as Henry Brookes enjoyed a dream debut on the ground that he has always called home.
The Edgbaston product took five for 25 and two excellent catches as Phoenix banked their first victory of the campaign and handed James Vince’s side their first defeat in nine matches.
After Phoenix were put in, they leaned heavily on Smeed after Chris Benjamin, promoted to open, and Moeen Ali each raced to 17 but then perished.
Benjamin sent up a skier off Marcus Stoinis before Ali, having lifted George Garton deep into the crowd at mid-wicket, chopped James Fuller’s first ball on to his stumps.
Smeed galloped to a 25-ball half-century, reached with six over long off off Jake Lintott in a stand of 80 in 44 balls with Liam Livingstone.
Livingstone was the top six-hitter in last year’s Hundred but this time he never really hit his stride, scoring just two from his first seven balls and 21 from 20 before lifting Lintott to extra cover.
Into the last 10 balls, the big question was could Smeed complete his ton? He needed five runs from the last three and a four and a two took him to the magic mark from 49 balls.
Phoenix set about defending their total with an increasingly depleted seam attack, Adam Milne (achilles injury) having joined Matt Fisher, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone on the absentee list.
But Kane Richardson soon stepped up, bowling Vince with his first ball after the Brave captain smote Ali for 16 in three balls in the first set.
Richardson conceded just a single from his first five balls and Phoenix struck again when Stoinis was brilliantly caught by Brookes at short fine leg off Tom Helm.
Brookes followed that up in sensational style by striking with his second, tenth, 13th, 15th and 17th balls.
Quinton de Kock sent back a return catch, Tim David lifted to deep square leg, Alex Davies (33 off 24 balls) was bowled through an attempted scoop and Fuller and Garton were pinned lbw. Who needs Milne, Fisher, Woakes and Stone?
Brookes hadn’t quite finished. At 108 for seven, Brave’s one sliver of remaining hope lay in some pyrotechnics from the big-hitting Ross Whiteley.
But when he hoiked Benny Howell to long leg who was waiting underneath the ball? Brookes made no mistake and Phoenix closed out a victory which owed everything to the precocious talent of two young Englishmen.
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Phoenix batter Will Smeed said: “It was nice to get going. We didn’t lose a game here last year so it is nice to keep that going.
“My role is just to try to smack it at the top. We didn’t get off to a flier but I just kept going and got us to a decent total. It felt like we were about par so we knew that if we bowled well and fielded well we were in the game.
“Brookesy bowled amazingly. I feel like I have stolen the man of the match award off him because he got a five-for and two catches. But it is a team game and it was an excellent team performance tonight.
“The way we set up and look to play is really positive so if a few people come off every game then who knows where it could take us.”
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Brave coach Mahela Jayawardene said: “Our unbeaten record has come to end but credit to the Phoenix. Smeedy batted extremely well, especially up front, and got the first hundred in the Hundred. He pretty much timed everything and then Henry Brooks bowled really well, bowling hard lengths and varying his pace. He really challenged our guys.
“It is disappoining because I felt that the target was chaseable on a good wicket with small boundaries. We just needed two of our guys to settle down and put on a couple of partnerships to put them under pressure but it wasn’t to be. Credit to them. They executed their plans much better than us tonight.
“But it is good learning for us. We will get back and have a good discussion and move on to the next game because the opposition will be quite different to what we faced today.
“We had a very good run last year. After losing our first two, we literally had to win every game to give ourselves a chance.
“Sometimes you need to lose to understand what you need and we have a few new guys in the group so we just need to sit down and have a chat. It’s a good group and the boys will be fine.”
