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The Timeline: Northern Superchargers Men v Birmingham Phoenix Men

SHIVAM PATHAK recaps the action from Headingley as Liam Livingstone guided the visitors into the final, setting up an Eliminator between Southern Brave and Trent Rockets

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Shivam Pathak | 17/08/2021 at 20:45

Scorecard

A batting masterclass from Liam Livingstone, which saw him take the record of the fastest Hundred fifty, saw Birmingham Phoenix into the final on Saturday.

In fact, it was the Northern Superchargers who got off to a stunning start, initially taking the accolade of the  highest Powerplay score, led by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but incredible death bowling limited them to 143 runs.

In reply, Livingstone hit 10 sixes as he made a half-century in just 20 balls, in what can only be described as a thrashing.

Here's how it happened...

Ball 7: Six for Kohler-Cadmore! Dillon Pennington knew instantly that he regretted bowling there. Back of a length, angling in, and the opener just crunches it with force over square and into the crowd! 7-0

Ball 10: That’s another! Length ball, too slow, punished - Kohler-Cadmore doesn’t wait around, leaning back before launching it over the bowler’s head to the long-on boundary. 17-0 

Ball 14: That’s six more! Adam Milne has been whacked hard and low - there’s real pace on it, angling in, but this time it’s Chris Lynn who shuffles backwards before nailing it over the cover fielder. 27-0

Ball 21: Crunched for another biggie! The tournament’s biggest Powerplay total has just been matched, and they have four more balls to break the record. Pat Brown goes for the slower ball, but it moves in a little, allowing Kohler-Cadmore just to lean back a touch before firing a long way over midwicket. 45-0

Ball 22: Right back over the bowler’s head! The Superchargers are living up to their name here. A full toss from Pat Brown has been walloped over long-on by Kohler-Cadmore, who is steaming along. 51-0

Ball 24: Three in the set! Maximum again! This is a poor delivery by Brown - slower, and right into the slot - Kohler-Cadmore has no intention of therefore bludgeoning it for anything less than six over midwicket. 61-0

Ball 36: Another six for Lynn! Pennington draws a smile, but he’s taking the heat. Angling in, a slower ball moving away to leg, Lynn shuffles back before turning his arms and hooking it over the point region. 79-0

Ball 54: Got ‘im! Liam Livingstone has a wicket. It’s Chris Lynn who has to go here, who is taken out by the leggie. Shifting across leg stump, Lynn looks to fire over square, but it nicks off the edge and Pennington grabs on the ring. 95-1

Ball 58: Cracked! Willey goes into the dugout with a six. Moving towards leg, floated in by Livingstone, the number three reads the spin perfectly and rockets it over long-off. 103-1

Ball 59: But gone this time! A loopy caught and bowled. Liam Livingstone goes full and invites his England team-mate to go big again. He does indeed, but it’s bottom edged, shooting right up into the evening sky - Livingstone makes the call and indeed grabs at short mid-on. 103-2

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Ball 69: Thompson goes long... caught 'im! He shakes his head as he walks off. Benny Howell angles in again, fuller towards middle, and Thompson tries to open the angle with footwork, but it heads right to long-off where Finn Allen moves in and grabs. 114-3

Ball 73: Straight to mid-off, taken! Livingstone again. It’s fuller this time from the all-rounder, and the new man Dane Vilas looks to crack it over covers, but the contact isn't there and it shoots to point where Abell snags it on the dive. 118-3

Ball 85: Right back into the crowd from Simpson! Much needed, to relieve a real dry spell. It ends Imran Tahir’s spell, straighter and fuller from the South African - biffed right back over his head and one for the fans at long-on to catch. 133-4

Ball 87: But he goes now! Benny Howell strikes again. The slower ball, banged in on leg, Simpson shuffles across and looks to hammer into the midwicket region, but it catches the edge and it loops right up to Pennington at short third man who makes no mistake. 133-5

Ball 97: Bowled him! Lovely yorker. Adam Milne is doing this perfectly - top speed, angling in, full, no time or space to get the bat under it. Ben Raine can simply do nothing and he is castled. 140-6

Ball 98: Fired to cover, gone! Two-for-two! Hat-trick ball next. A gorgeous change of length - from the yorker to the length ball, Matt Fisher just lashes out and it flies straight to the man on the ring, who in this case is the 19-year-old Will Smeed. 140-7

Ball 100: And a run-out to finish. A tremendous turnaround from Birmingham Phoenix. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who really did look on course for a comfortable century about 25 minutes ago. Full toss, Kohler-Cadmore misses out. It rolls to mid-off where Livingstone returns before they can come back for two. 143-8

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Ball 2: That's four! Finn Allen is off the mark. David Willey goes full, angling in on off, and Allen is able to just turn the face and fire over the on-side with the bounce. 4-0

Ball 4: Bowled 'im! Smeed goes. This is by no means a nice delivery to open. Full, moving towards middle from Willey, and Smeed looks to clatter through covers. It kisses the inside edge and the bails are dislodged. 6-1

Ball 22: Bang! See ya later! Liam Livingstone, the usual suspect, has just catapuled this over midwicket. Willey goes full, on middle stump, and the Phoenix's powerful opener steps back and banks it over the boundary. So far, in fact, that the umpires have cracked open the box of spare balls. 47-1

Ball 23: And again! Mis-hit, no matter! It's wider from David Willey this time - Livingstone shifts across and gets plenty under it, though it hangs in the air for a long while, but it's long enough to beat cow corner. 53-1

Ball 25: Bosh! Three in the last five! Livingstone is out for it! Full and straight from Willey, the opener shuffles back and knocks it high, far and beautifully over long-on. 59-1

Ball 35: Six, and that's Liam Livingstone's fifty! The fastest in The Hundred. Short from Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Livingstone bends the knee before demolishing it over square. 74-1

Ball 44: Six more for Allen, and a tremendous crowd catch! Rashid floats it in on middle, but unfortunately for Dilly, Allen comes out quickly, reading the flight before whacking in to the stand, where one man grabs with one hand, falls two rows of seats and holds on, to the crowd's amazement. 90-1

Ball 48: And again from Livingstone! Pick your spot and go. Ben Raine is the bowler and immediately feeling the heat. Angling away to leg stump, Livingstone just nonchalantly turns and cracks it over backward square. 100-1

Ball 50: Allen's turn now! This is getting done very quickly. Fuller from Raine, Allen shuffles back and swings like he were at Augusta National, going low over long-off for a max. 107-1

Ball 55: Stumped him! The tournament's record partnership is over. A mere 106 between them.  Matt Parkinson goes wider of leg, turning away, and Finn Allen looks to fire through covers, but he's beaten and John Simpson doesn't have to hurry to whip off the bails. 112-2

Ball 69: Another boundary! Six, to be precise. Floated in by Rashid, on leg, Livingstone shuffles across and just cracks over long-on. Caught in the crowd once more. 133-2

Ball 74: That'll do! Ten sixes for Livingstone! Fisher floats in and Livingstone hits out. Into deep square leg, and Birmingham Phoenix are in the final! 147-2

The Reaction

There was no surprise that Liam Livingstone was named the Kazoo Match Hero, who commented: "I've felt a bit more pressure since Mo [Ali] went away - he's such a gap in our batting order. But I've really enjoyed playing cricket with these boys, we've got a young, fearless line-up and we've seen some great talent come through."

"Whatever happens, we've proved a lot of people wrong in this competition", he said. "We try not to think about it too much, but everyone wants to play in finals - we've got a lot of young boys who won't have played in a franchise final before, so that will be a great expreience for them." 

On his side's bowling, he explained: "We've done it all tournament. Immy [Tahir] has been an absolute hero for us, Milne at the death showed why he's one of the best in the world. Benny [Howell] does the ugly work, never goes for runs - those three boys were able to do it when we were under pressure."

Milne, whose death bowling earned himself two wickets and a third for his side, said: "It's going to be a very happy dressing room! It's nice to not have to play that Eliminator match, and go straight on to Lord - it's a special feeling."

On star man Livingstone, he said: "I thought he bowled really well, also. The whole country knows what he does, to hit big sixes - I thought he played with a lot of composure, knocked a lot of ones, and hit the big ball when he needed to."

"With the yorkers, it's all about practice and training them. Nowadays, you can throw down some shoes or some little hoardings to chuck at to try and nail those. For today, it was just trying to use the change-up to keep them thinking."

"I think they batted beautifully at the top, obviously ultra-agressively - took us down in the Powerplay, but our strength in this tournament has been those guys bowling through the middle. We don't have Mo, but Livi came in to bowl spin, or Benny Howell with his crafty change-ups and wrong 'uns. For those guys to take those wickets, it makes our job a little easier", he added.

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