We have a double header in The Hundred to enjoy on Sunday and it all begins at Edgbaston where two of the more powerful sides in the competition meet when the Birmingham Phoenix play host to the Trent Rockets.
The Trent Rockets are the only side who remain unbeaten in the competition whereas the Phoenix looked very good in their opening match but they have lost two since then and will be looking to get back on track here.
Birmingham Phoenix
I think the overall consensus on the Birmingham Phoenix is that they have ultimately disappointed so far in the tournament. They won their opening match but that was against a so far winless London Spirit so just how much we can take from that remains to be seen. Since then they have been beaten by the Manchester Originals and the Southern Brave, offering nothing with the bat in the first of those defeats and being found wanting with the ball in the second one.
I think it is fair to say that we can expect changes in this Birmingham Phoenix side for this match. Tom Helm has figures of 2/37, DNB and 0/40 in his three matches to date and that isn’t helping the cause at all. We saw Birmingham switch their batting order up in the last game to good effect and now is the time to do likewise with the bowling department. If Pat Brown is still injured then it might be that they bring Dillon Pennington in.
Trent Rockets
In terms of the results and league table the Trent Rockets have been perfect in this tournament so far. That hasn’t been the case throughout their matches but the one thing they have done is made sure they have played the conditions and as a result of that they are three wins from three. I don’t think we’ve seen the very best of them with the bat in this competition yet. Alex Hales and D’Arcy Short have both played a match winning knock but they have had to rein in their attacking instincts to get a score on the board.
Where the Rockets are excelling is with the ball. That certainly isn’t a surprise because they have the number one spinner in the world in Rashid Khan, two or three other excellent support spinners and Marchant de Lange who is cleaning sides up for fun. If there is a question mark over Trent Rockets it might be in the lower part of their middle order, which is why they got themselves into a bit of trouble a couple of games ago, but you can’t knock a side with a 100% record after three games.
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Key Men
I think it is time for Moeen Ali to stand up for his side here. Trent Rockets have a number of spinners in their side who restrict and contain the opposition. Ali is probably the best player of spin in the country so he will need to counterattack those bowlers to get the Phoenix ahead of the game.
There are two huge wickets to get from this Birmingham Phoenix side and if Rashid Khan can either keep Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali quiet and put pressure on them to do something daft at the other end, or better still actually get them out, it will go a long way to another Rockets win. He’s key here.
Betting
I expect Moeen Ali to have a big match here. I think he matches up perfectly to the Trent Rockets. He always seems to play well against Nottimghamshire and this is just an extension of that really. I always remember Moeen creaming the Nottinghamshire bowlers to all parts in a Sky game a few years ago and his last two bowling efforts against them in the Vitality Blast have been 4-18 and 2-15 so he scores runs and takes wickets against them.
The Rockets top order are either Nottinghamshire players or left-handers so Moeen is going to be perfect with the ball here, especially if we’re on another used wicket. The other thing Moeen enjoys is playing at Edgbaston so there is everything to suggest he’s going to have a big say in this match. In the first match of the competition here Moeen only bowled half his allocation without taking a wicket but he took two catches and smacked 40 runs for a 60 point performance haul. I expect him to bowl his full quota here and in doing so I expect him to cover a 34.5 point performance line.
Tips
Back M.Ali’s Performance – Over 34.5 points for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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