The Birmingham Phoenix required 61 runs from 25 balls with six wickets in hand. The Oval Invincibles gave the ball to Rashid Khan, who is their trump card. The Afghanistan leg-spinner seemed like the ideal choice to stop the run flow and take a couple of wickets.

Instead of stifling the Phoenix, Rashid Khan was hammered by Liam Livingstone, who dispatched one of the best white-ball spinners in the world for three sixes and two fours. The five-ball over produced 26 runs. In total, Rashid Khan ended up conceding 59 runs in his 20 balls, his most expensive spell in both The Hundred and his entire T20 career (which includes matches recorded as T20 games). His previous highest T20 concession had been 55 runs in an IPL match against Kings XI in 2018.

Livingstone’s big over shifted the match in the Phoenix’s favour, leaving them needing 35 runs from 20 balls. Although the final over brought some drama with two wickets falling, Phoenix held on to win by four wickets. The star was none other than Liam Livingstone, who finished with a blistering 69 off 27 balls, guiding Phoenix to a thrilling win with two balls to spare, chasing down a challenging target of 181.

Liam Livingstone’s explosive 27-ball 69, including five sixes, led the Phoenix to their first win of the tournament at Edgbaston.The Oval Invincibles struggled early, with key wickets falling to leave them at 34 for 3. Jordan Cox (44) and Sam Billings helped stabilize the innings, but it was Donovan Ferreira’s explosive 63 from 29 balls that pushed the score higher. Rashid Khan added 16 runs, while Dan Mousley’s messy over conceded 25 runs, bringing the total to 181.

The Phoenix’s chase got off to a slow start, with Behrendorff conceding only five runs from 10 balls. Mahmood then dismissed Duckett, but Smeed’s 51 kept them in the contest. Livingstone later took charge, hammering Rashid Khan for 26 runs in a single over. Despite Mahmood’s two quick wickets, Benny Howell remained calm, driving the winning shot to seal a thrilling victory.