The Hundred: Imran Tahir takes first hat-trick as Phoenix batter Fire

Imran Tahir took a hat-trick as the Melbourne Stars beat the Brisbane Heat by four wickets at the Gabba.

The The Hundred is a cricket tournament held in England. Imran Tahir took his first hat-trick as Phoenix batter Fire beat Adelaide Strikers by 6 wickets.

The men’s Hundred’s youngest and oldest players collaborated for a stunning 93-run win against Welsh Fire at Edgbaston, propelling Birmingham Phoenix to the top of the table.

With stats of 5-25, Imran Tahir, the tournament’s oldest player at 42, grabbed the tournament’s first hat-trick to cap off a poor Fire innings – fittingly finishing with a characteristic lap of honour across the Edgbaston outfield.

Phoenix blasted their way to 184-5, the best total in the competition, after the tournament’s youngest player, 19-year-old Will Smeed, blazed an undefeated 65 off 38 balls.

In front of a sell-out Edgbaston crowd of nearly 18,000, Smeed was well backed by skipper Moeen Ali, who struck a blazing 28-ball 59 and smashed three consecutive sixes off Graeme White.

Fire, who are now all but out, never got going in their reply, losing wickets at regular intervals as they fell to 91 all out in only 74 balls.

On net run rate, Phoenix, which began the night in fifth place, has moved ahead of Trent Rockets, while Welsh Fire are in seventh place.

If Manchester Originals defeat London Spirit on Tuesday, they may move to the top of the league.

Phoenix wins huge because to Tahir.

Manchester Originals selected Tahir in the initial selection in November 2019, but he was released when clubs were allowed to re-draft as a consequence of the epidemic. Tahir made his first-class debut five years before Smeed was born.

The Phoenix are presumably still reeling from the fact that they were able to sign a guy with 293 international wickets.

He’d previously taken the important wickets of Glenn Phillips and Leus du Plooy, both of whom have the ability to take a game away from a team.

The hat-trick that followed, though, was pure entertainment. Here’s how it went down:

• Ball 72: Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad attempts a top-of-the-order drive but chips to mid-off (cue Tahir racing round the ground in celebration part one)
• Ball 73: Tahir’s faster one slides through and lands just in front of Adam Milnes (cue Tahir racing round the ground in celebration part two)
• Ball 74: The googly, and the ball lands between number 11’s bat and pad. Payne, David (cue Tahir racing round the ground in celebration part three)

What a performer. What an evening!

‘I simply stand there and hit it,’ says the author.

Smeed was a late call-up for the Phoenix and did not appear in any of the team’s first three games.

Before tonight’s 65, he has scored 43 off 23 balls and a 28-ball 45 since coming in. Isn’t it nice?

Before allowing Moeen to strike, the mathematics and economics student began like a tracer bullet, racing to 23 off 11 balls.

To rotate the strike, he displayed maturity and a level of calmness beyond his years, allowing him to be there at the finish to capitalize – flicking the penultimate ball over square leg for a one-bounce four before sending the last ball around 25 rows back.

“It was tremendous fun,” Smeed said during the break to Sky Sports.

“I’m not very good at all the sophisticated things, so I simply stand there and smash it right now.”

Smeed’s 65 points came from all over the field.

Is Phoenix the whole package?

The Birmingham Phoenix are one of the teams leading the push. Two losses followed a win in the first game, but three victories in a row has pushed them to the top of the standings.

They have a lot of firepower at the top, with Smeed, Finn Allen of New Zealand, and England’s Moeen and Liam Livingstone all capable of clearing the ropes with ease.

You may be caught by one, two, or three, but you will be caught by the third or fourth. The damage was done today by Moeen and Smeed, who both blasted quick half-centuries and nine sixes between them.

With Miles Hammond, Chris Benjamin (who has already led Phoenix to victory twice), and Benny Howell in the center, they have a solid lineup.

With the ball, they have Adam Milne, who has taken eight wickets and has been at the top of the MVP rankings throughout the tournament.

Phoenix is a tough opponent because to Moeen and Tahir’s deft spin, as well as Howell and Pat Brown’s variations.

It’ll take a decent team to stop them, but they’ll be hoping England doesn’t come knocking for Moeen Ali, as head coach Chris Silverwood hinted at before the second Test against India at Lord’s.

“Of course, if you get the call-up, playing for England is the greatest thing you can receive,” Moeen said of a potential call-up. I’ll be available if I receive the call.

“It’s a win-win situation for me; things are going well for me and the squad.”

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