The Hundred 2024: Phoenix beat Spirit in close thriller

Sean Abbott took 4-14 as Birmingham Phoenix beat London Spirit in a thrilling game in The Hundred men’s competition at Lord’s.

The Australian seamer got his side off to a flying start, claiming his four scalps in a ten-ball set where he conceded just two runs and reduced the Phoenix to 31-5.

Liam Dawson and Andre Russell hauled their side back towards a respectable total, putting on 40 for the seventh wicket before the England spinner was removed by Tim Southee in sight of the close.

Russell proceeded to hammer three sixes from Adam Milne’s final set as Spirit finished on 127-7.

Phoenix had a horror start to their chase, falling to 20-4 inside the powerplay and losing England batters Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali for four and a duck respectively.

Youngsters Dan Mousley (39) and Jacob Bethell (43) then put on their own innings saving partnership, adding 69 from 51 balls.

But both fell before they could see their side home, leaving Benny Howell (24*) to lead the Phoenix attempt to close out the match.

Dawson came on to bowl an innings-closing ten ball set with the visitors needing seven runs to win.

He swiftly had James Fuller caught on the boundary and conceded just six runs from his first eight balls, but Howell drove the penultimate delivery of the match through the covers for four to secure a remarkable victory.