Match Report: Phoenix Men v Welsh Fire Men

Welsh Fire 138-3 beat Birmingham Phoenix 137-9 by seven wickets.

2026-08-01T17:50+01:00

Birmingham Phoenix were beaten by Welsh Fire after Joe Root marked his first appearance since being reappointed England Men's Test captain with an unbeaten half-century at Edgbaston.

After electing to bat first, Phoenix made an encouraging start, racing to 53-1 inside the powerplay. Joe Clarke led the way with a fluent 35 from 23 balls, including 20 runs from Sam Cook's final five deliveries, before the innings turned dramatically.

Fire hit back to reduce Phoenix from 53-1 to 79-5, with Jordan Cox taking two superb relay catches on the boundary to dismiss Mitch Owen and Clarke. Laurie Evans and Rehan Ahmed were then both run out in quick succession as the middle order struggled to build partnerships.

Donovan Ferreira provided some late impetus with 23 from 21 balls, striking back-to-back sixes off Rachin Ravindra before holing out, but Phoenix were restricted to 137-9 from their 100 balls. Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen each claimed two wickets for Fire.

In reply, Root and Phil Salt put Fire in control with a 77-run opening stand. Salt struck 46 from 36 balls, including four sixes, before Mitch Owen trapped him lbw, while Chris Wood removed Ravindra as Fire briefly lost momentum.

Jordan Cox added a useful 20 before Saqib Mahmood bowled him with Fire needing just six more runs, but Root remained composed throughout. His unbeaten 58 from 40 balls guided Fire to victory with four balls to spare, finishing the chase with a reverse-swept boundary before collecting the winning single.