Men’s Hundred | Akeal Hosein’s tight last set cruise Southern Brave to finals in super set thriller

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Southern Brave beat Birmingham Phoenix in a thriller super set eliminator game at the Oval. Adam Milne’s three-fer restricted the Brave to 126/6 whereas Livingtone’s heroics went in vain as Akeal Hosein's splendid last set took the game to super with the Brave winning it comfortably.

‌The electrifying eliminator between Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix kicked off with Phoenix captain Moeen Ali winning the toss and choosing to field. His decision paid off early when Adam Milne dismissed Alex Davies on just the second ball of the match. However, a strong partnership between Vince and Leus du Plooy saw the Brave make steady progress, as they accumulated 76 runs together, pushing the score to 74/1 after 60 balls. The partnership was eventually broken when Milne struck again, removing du Plooy. The Brave captain was dismissed on the 76th ball and Phoenix's bowlers seized control. Things worsened for the Brave as Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans fell quickly, leaving the score at 105/5 after 87 balls. With Chris Jordan's late surge, including a series of sixes in the final sets, Southern Brave managed to reach 126/6 after 100 deliveries.

In response, the Phoenix made a decent start reaching 8/0 in the first two sets. However, Craig Overton broke the opening partnership by dismissing the in-form Ben Duckett on the 13th ball. Moeen Ali attempted to accelerate the scoring with some boundaries but Jamie Smith's contribution was minimal before he was dismissed in the sixth set. The Brave's introduction of spin proved effective when Akeal Hosein removed Ali delivering a vital breakthrough. With Birmingham needing 51 runs from 35 deliveries, Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone steadied the innings. Livingstone shifted gears and targeted Jofra Archer hitting two big sixes in the 14th set. As the required run rate came down to 38 off 30, the match seemed to be tilting in Phoenix’s favour. However, Bethell fell at a crucial moment, dismissed by Tymal Mills on the 75th ball. The Phoenix's anxiety grew when Jofra Archer removed Dan Mousley on the last ball of the 17th set leaving them needing 25 runs from 15 balls. The tension mounted as Benny Howell was dismissed by Mills on the 92nd ball, leaving Birmingham still needing 15 runs. Livingstone's exceptional batting continued as he hit a crucial four in the penultimate set reducing the target to 11 runs off the final set. With Livingstone still at the crease, the match was set for a dramatic finish. With Livinstone’s dismissal and  a strong bowling effort by Akeal Hosein, the game went to a super set, adding to the suspense.

Birmingham's struggles persisted into the super-set as Jofra Archer struck on the first ball, dismissing Liam Livingstone on the very first ball. Archer's precise bowling and a solitary boundary allowed him to restrict Birmingham to 7/2 in the first five deliveries. Meanwhile, Chris Jordan's consecutive boundaries sealed the victory for Southern Brave. They are now set to face Oval Invincibles in the title clash at Lord's today.

Unbelievable victory

Amazing player

Fan

Outstanding

In form

Well played

Weird

Only reason

Scored this year

Genius

 

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