The Hundred Men's Competition 2021 Match 27: Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast and pitch report

Trent Rockets will square off against Birmingham Phoenix in the 27th match of The Men’s Hundred 2021 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday.

Trent Rockets have four wins from six games and have had a successful campaign in The Hundred so far. Even though they lost their previous outing to the Oval Invincibles, they have been in fine form and will look to get back to winning ways. The Rockets are in a strong position to finish in the top four.

Meanwhile, Birmingham Phoenix have had a similar campaign. With four wins and two losses, they are at par with Trent Rockets with eight points. However, they are a spot above the Rockets due to their superior net run rate. Phoenix are coming off a massive 93-run win against Welsh Fire.

Both teams will want to strengthen their position in the top four. With two league phase games remaining for each, they will look to win both and seal a top-two finish.

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Match Details

Match: Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix, The Hundred Men 2021

Date: August 13, 2021 (Friday)

Time: 11:30 PM (IST)

Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

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Weather Report

Nottingham is expected to have cloud cover throughout the game with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze. Temperatures will vary between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius.

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Pitch Report

Trent Bridge has not seen a lot of big scores in The Hundred as it’s a big ground. The wicket will assist the fast bowlers early on and spinners will come into play as the match progresses. The two games played at this venue have been low scoring and hence the side winning the toss would opt to chase.

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Predicted Playing XIs

Trent Rockets

Trent Rockets have one of the most dangerous top orders in The Hundred. However, it failed to perform last time around. The trio of Alex Hales, D’Arcy Short and Dawid Malan will have to fire. The middle order, comprising Tom Moores, Samit Patel, Steven Mullaney and captain Lewis Gregory, will also have to step up.

Rashid and Samit haven’t been consistent and need to perform as well. Wahab Riaz and Luke Wood suffered injuries in the last game. The Rockets will hope that they are fit to take the field. Sam Cook has put up a good showing and might retain his spot.

Predicted XI: Lewis Gregory (c), D’Arcy Short, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Tom Moores (wk), Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Rashid Khan, Matthew Carter, Timm van der Gugten/ Wahab Riaz, Sam Cook

Birmingham Phoenix

Phoenix piled up a massive total of 184 last time around. Will Smeed (65), Moeen Ali (59) and Liam Livingstone (31) fired with the bat. However, they suffered a huge blow after Moeen Ali was called up to the England Test squad, meaning their captain will miss the remainder of The Hundred.

In such a scenario, Finn Allen and the other batters will have to shoulder the responsibility. With uncertainty over Chris Woakes, Tom Abell is likely to replace Moeen. Liam Livingstone will take over as captain.

Predicted XI: Finn Allen, Will Smeed, Tom Abell, Liam Livingstone (c), Chris Benjamin (wk), Benny Howell, Miles Hammond, Adam Milne, Tom Helm, Patrick Brown, Imran Tahir.

Match Prediction

Trent Rockets have won both their games at home. Phoenix, on the other hand, are on a three-match winning streak. However, Moeen's absence could have a huge impact on them.

The two sides look very evenly-matched and this should be a well-fought contest. Moreover, Phoenix do not have a good record away from home, giving the Rockets a slight edge.

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TV and live streaming details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming: Fancode.