Root guides Fire to victory over Phoenix
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Joe Root made an unbeaten 58 to lead Welsh Fire to a seven-wicket win over Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred at Edgbaston. The victory lifts Fire from fifth to second in the table on net run-rate, while Phoenix remain eighth after a third consecutive defeat.
Phoenix posted 137-9 after collapsing from 53-1 to 79-5 despite Joe Clarke’s 35, with Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen taking two wickets each. Fire reached 138-3 with four balls remaining: Phil Salt contributed 46 in an opening stand of 77 with Root, who sealed the result after returning to action following his reappointment as England Test captain.
- Root’s unbeaten 58 secured Fire’s seven-wicket win.
- Fire rose to second in The Hundred table.
- Phoenix suffered a third straight defeat.
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The Hundred is a short-form cricket competition in which each team faces 100 balls, with the aim of scoring more runs than its opponent. Welsh Fire and Birmingham Phoenix are two of the teams, and Edgbaston is Phoenix’s home ground.
Teams earn points for wins, and their position in the table can also depend on net run-rate, a measure comparing how quickly they score and how many runs they concede. The competition’s table matters because it determines which teams progress to the knockout stages.
Joe Root is an England batter who plays for Welsh Fire. His return to action came after he was reappointed captain of England’s Test team, the side that plays the traditional five-day form of international cricket.