and Phoenix have completed a dominant, dominant win with a single to long-on. Win with 26 balls remaining. Whew. Unending stream of balls slammed into and over boundaries this innings.
4.55 pm: Early finish to this chase, thanks to some marvelous big-hitting by Smeed, Allen and Livingstone. The Hundred is not yet done for the weekend however, so stick around for the other games. The Southern Brave Women's chase is on against London Spirit Women. And in about an hour, the Southern Brave Men will face off against the London Spirit Men.
Will Smeed: Got a call last night (that he would play) and I was buzzing. The biggest stage I've played on, got into it quickly. Bit of nerves. I thought me and Finn will go out there and just play freely. Every batter loves batting in the powerplay in white-ball cricket, it's the best time to bat. I've sort of batted everywhere at Somerset this year, due to injuries.
4.48 pm: Two valuable points for Phoenix and they're in the top four now. Significant improvement in NRR too. Rockets still top the table but their net run-rate has taken a hit.
shorter outside off, slammed hard, but can't beat cover
scores level.
length ball angling into him, turned to backward square leg
short outside off, slapped through cover. There's protection in the deep
Just 3 needed now.
he's done it again! This time he gets a top edge but it's hit hard enough that it sails over slip and goes a bit finer than the last ball - same result though. Boundary
shorter and Benjamin goes inventive. Reverse sweeps it to the third man boundary. There's a slip there but he swept wide of the man
googly first up, he doesn't read it, stretching forward to defend and rapped on the pads. Loud appeal by Rashid but that was going down
castles him. Rashid showing how effective he can be, no matter the match situation. This was bowled quick, and it skids off from a length on off to go through the gate and light up the stumps.
goes to pull, gets it off the under-edge towards midwicket
van der Gugten tips it over the boundary. Technically it's a drop but that was hit so mightily hard, I don't know how you catch that cleanly. Fuller, he goes down on one knee and absolutely slams it hard and flat. Van der Gugten had to jump a bit at deep midwicket, got a bit of hands on it, couldn't hold on
tapped down softly for a quick single
too short again and cracked again, but this time it's straight to the fielder
just beats the man at deep midwicket. That's some power in the shot. Doesn't go very high, isn't that well timed. Very short ball askign to be hit and Livingstone obliges. van der Gugten stretches his hand out but can't get to the ball
Rakib: "Phoenix are the Windies of the Hundred I feel, hitters keep coming no matter the wickets fall, Chris Benjamin still to come!"
too short to start with, and he's pulled around the corner to long leg
Paul Connett: "I am a brit watching this is in the USA I am deprived of TV pictures I find that cricinfo has brought a little color into my watching. The green and purple for 4's and 6's and then the occasional shock of red, makes watching the "morse code" scoring more interesting, Thank you. Sometimes it is the little things in life that bring joy. Paul Connett"
- We aim to please, Paul Connett.
skips down the track, doesn't manage to get bat on the ball, it lobs up off pad near him
bang goes Livingstone. Too short, too wide outside off, and he rocks back to slap this through cover
tight line on off, punched well through cover
slightly short, tapped gently through backward square leg
good length on off, opens the face to punch this through backward point
34 needed off 45 now.
googly castles him. He went down to reverse sweep, but this was again bowled quicker and it zipped through to shatter stumps