Bond disappointed as Phoenix lose in low-scoring game against Southern Brave

Birmingham Phoenix Head Coach, Shane Bond, was disappointed as his side slipped to a second successive defeat in The Hundred, as they lost by 12 runs against Southern Brave in Southampton.

2026-07-30T22:15+01:00

The Phoenix had restricted the hosts to 128 for eight, with Rehan Ahmed the pick of the bowlers, taking three for 25 from his 20 balls.

On a pitch where no batter ever looked settled, the Phoenix’s reply started well as they reached 52 for one from 47 balls before the Brave’s attack of Jofra Archer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid held their nerve to see their side to a narrow 12-run win.

Bond admits his team’s chase struggled for momentum, and that the strength of the Brave’s bowling attack was the key on a difficult pitch for batting.

“Obviously we’re disappointed,” he said. “I think it was a really good bowling performance to keep them to 128.

“We knew the wicket was tricky, but I thought we did a really good job with the ball and had made some improvements from our last game.

“Then with the bat, I thought the boys started well. Then we just never really got going, but credit to the Brave. We know they've got a really solid bowling attack, and on a tricky surface they were always going to make it hard for us. When they had to nail it, they nailed it.”

Will Smeed, who scored 35 at the top of the order, had looked to have put the Phoenix in control of the chase.

However, with The Hundred providing bowlers with an opportunity to bowl five or ten ball sets, that proved to be the difference, and it’s a nuance that Bond enjoys about the format.

“I love the ten ball stuff, it's cool,” he added. “It's a little bit different. I think there’s times where it works for you when you have a batter on striking going well and it obviously works the opposite if you lose a wicket and you can get those run of balls together.

“I think it's those little intricacies of the game that I love. We were sitting in the dugout talking about the games and the balance, and that a good ten balls would see is well in front and a bad ten balls could see us well behind.

“Unfortunately, we had a bad ten and then it was always going to be tricky. Our line-up set with some big hitters at the back end, but they just couldn't really get going, and so in the end, we were two sixes short.”