In The Hundred 2025 Match 7, the Birmingham Phoenix Men crumbled to a 9-wicket loss against the Southern Brave Men at Edgbaston. After being restricted to only 106/7 in 100 balls, Phoenix never looked comfortable. Southern Brave’s batting duo of Leus du Plooy and James Vince took no chances and comfortably completed the victory with 19 balls remaining.

1. Poor Batting and No Partnerships 

The innings of Phoenix were rather flat and lacked momentum. Only Joe Clarke (36) and Ben Duckett (20) gave some decent contributions. The rest of the batting team could not take advantage and fell to the disciplined bowling from Michael Bracewell (3/10) and Jofra Archer (2/16) spells. The lack of any large partnerships meant that they were left with a substandard score.

2. Inability to Take Wickets Early

With the Ball Phoenix, who were defending a small score, desperately needed wickets in the initial overs to create pressure on the other side. But their bowlers failed to get rid of Leus du Plooy (48*) or James Vince (41*) in the powerplay. If early wickets are not taken, Southern Brave will easily create their chase without taking unnecessary risks.

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3. Southern Brave’s Disciplined All-Round Display 

The Brave used the tight bowling and clinical batting to dominate the game in both innings. As their bowlers changed speeds and were accurate, they prevented Phoenix from scoring freely, while their top order carried out a risk-free yet aggressive chase. This all-round control ensured Phoenix had no opportunity to recover.