Birmingham Phoenix’s men follow their women’s team into action at Edgbaston, hosting Trent Rockets on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 PM local (11:00 PM IST).
Phoenix finished a disappointing fifth last season and will lean on young captain Jacob Bethell, who has previous form against this exact opponent at this ground.
Trent Rockets arrive in far better shape, having reached last season’s final before finishing runners-up, and captain Sam Billings will look to continue that momentum on the road.
Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets, 4th Match |
| Series | The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026. Season opener for both franchises, played after the women’s fixture at the same venue. |
| Date | Friday, 24 July 2026 |
| Time | 6:30 PM BST local / 5:30 PM GMT / 11:00 PM IST |
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham. Birmingham Phoenix’s home ground. |
| Format | 100-ball innings per side, five sets of 20 balls, no bowler allowed more than two sets. |
| Captains | Jacob Bethell (Birmingham Phoenix), Sam Billings (Trent Rockets) |
| Form | BPH: Finished fifth in 2025 with just 3 wins from the group stage, with Liam Livingstone (241 runs) and Benny Howell (8 wickets) the standout performers, though neither returns this season. TRT: Enjoyed a much stronger 2025, reaching the final before finishing runners-up, and retain a settled core built around Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Mitchell Santner and a strong overseas pace attack. |
| H2H | These two sides met at this same ground in 2024, when Jacob Bethell’s unbeaten 38 off 29 helped Birmingham Phoenix chase down 118 with 6 wickets to spare, Tim Southee taking five wickets for Trent Rockets in a losing cause. Squads have changed a fair amount since, but Bethell’s pedigree at Edgbaston against this opponent is notable. |
Dream11 Team For BPH vs TRT, 4th Match
Top Picks For BPH vs TRT, 4th Match
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Bethell | BPH | Captain / AR | Captain pick. Match-winning form against this exact opponent at Edgbaston in 2024. At 2x. |
| Sam Billings | TRT | VC / WK | Vice-Captain pick. Trent Rockets captain, led the side to last season’s final. At 1.5x. |
| Tim David | TRT | Batter | Explosive middle-order finisher, tipped by bookmakers as a leading contender for Rockets’ top run-scorer today. |
| Mitchell Santner | TRT | All-Rounder | In excellent recent form with the ball, offering control and wickets through the middle overs. |
| Mitchell Owen | BPH | All-Rounder | Powerful young Australian hitter capable of changing the game in a short burst. |
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham. Birmingham Phoenix’s home ground. |
| Pitch Type | A flat, dry surface that generally favours batters once they are set, with some early seam and swing on offer for the new-ball bowlers, particularly under cloud cover. Turn is harder to come by here than at most other Hundred venues. |
| Scoring | The average first-innings score in Men’s Hundred matches at Edgbaston has sat around 136 in recent seasons. This is worth cross-checking against ESPNcricinfo Statsguru before publishing, since the figure can vary depending on the sample used. |
| Pace vs Spin | New-ball pace from Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Wood for Phoenix, and Mohammad Amir and Matt Henry for Rockets, should find some early assistance, with the pitch offering little turn for the spinners on both sides. |
| Toss Factor | Edgbaston has not shown a strong toss bias in recent Men’s Hundred seasons, so expect captains to lean on team balance and conditions on the day rather than a fixed script. |
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Around 26°C (78°F) during the day, cooling into a mild evening for the 6:30 PM start. |
| Sky | Cloudy through the day, without posing a serious threat to play. |
| Rain Chance | Low, roughly 10 percent. A full, uninterrupted match looks likely. |
| Humidity | Moderate, with some chance of helping the ball swing under cloud cover and lights. |
| Overall | Good batting and bowling conditions for the opening night of both franchises’ 2026 campaigns. |
BPH vs TRT Toss Prediction
With no strong historical toss bias at this ground, expect the toss winner to assess cloud cover and pitch dryness on the day rather than follow a fixed pattern.
**If Jacob Bethell (Birmingham Phoenix) wins, **expect him to bat first in front of a home crowd, trusting Will Smeed and Joe Clarke to set the tone before Laurie Evans and Mitchell Owen accelerate through the middle, backed by Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Wood to defend a total under lights.
**If Sam Billings (Trent Rockets) wins, **expect Rockets to bat first as well, using Finn Allen and Tom Banton to attack the new ball before Tim David and Dan Mousley finish the innings at pace, with Mohammad Amir and Matt Henry trusted to defend it.
Injury and Team News
Birmingham Phoenix:
Birmingham Phoenix head into 2026 looking to bounce back from a fifth-place finish last season, under the continued captaincy of young star Jacob Bethell.
With Liam Livingstone having moved on to London Spirit, Phoenix will lean more heavily on Bethell, Donovan Ferreira and new addition Mitchell Owen for their runs. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of the opener.
Trent Rockets:
Trent Rockets carry serious momentum into 2026 after reaching last season’s final, and captain Sam Billings leads a squad with real depth in both departments.
Tom Banton and Dan Mousley headline the batting, while Mohammad Amir, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner and Craig Overton give Rockets one of the strongest bowling units in the competition. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of the opener.
