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All about Henry at Edgbaston
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Trade and top bowler are options
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Phoenix desperate for the win
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Should they rest Duckett?
Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire
Friday 22 August, 18.30
TV: Live on Sky Sports
Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire team news
Phoenix may not rise from the flames this season. Back-to-back defeats at the start of the season put them behind the eight ball and despite picking up, they are requiring a very strong finish to make the top three. They are eight points behind Superchargers.
They desperately need more from Ben Duckett who is not worth his spot in the team. Replacing him with Aneurin Donald would be the right move. Duckett has looked exhausted post Test series.
Probable Phoenix XI: Smeed, Duckett, Clarke, Livingstone, Bethell, Kimber, Howell, Wood, Milne, Southee, Boult
Fire are already out. The gamble to bring in Steve Smith has failed spectacularly with the Aussie having a dreadful season. He has averaged 15 with a strike rate of 126. It's a pathetic return for a high-quality player in a low-quality competition. Without Matt Henry's brilliance with the ball they wouldn't even be close to competitive.
Probable Fire XI: Smith, Bairstow, Wells, Abel, Kohler-Cadmore, Zaib, Walter, Green, Payne, Henry, Dale
Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire pitch report
Edgbaston should be a decent batting track. The key game was Oval-Phoenix when the former batted first and posted 180 and failed to defend. It also looked very flat when the home side chased 127 against Spirit with 35 balls left. But one cannot rely on the Welsh Fire for runs. With Phoenix's total runs relying on them, too, overs 145.5 is a little risky.
Fire under 139.5 is easy to stomach because Henry could produce something magical to keep his side in it at the break.
Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire match prediction
We do not expect an upset here with Phoenix desperate for the points and Fire now playing for pride. Not that they seem to have much after some shocking performances this term, not least when they threw away a wining position against Brave.
That is instructive for this game, though. They were only really in with a shout thanks to Henry, who is the best bowler in the world at the moment. So there is the possibility of a trade here with Fire bowling first. If Henry can do damage again then Fire could be capable of flipping their odds from 2.47147/100.
Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire player bets
Not surprisingly, our focus is on Henry, he won for us last time on top bat and with no cut to the 11/43.75 he retains value for most Fire wickets. There is very little for him to beat with Aussie Riley Meredith not getting a game due to overseas quotas. Against Brave he took a ridiculous two for five to take the win on runs conceded.
For Phoenix, if they do decide to rest Duckett Donald should open so the 12/113.00 is a steal. Even if he bats in the middle-order it wouldn't be the worst bet in the world as he hits a long ball.
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