Dan Mousley’s wonder spell snatches victory for Birmingham Phoenix

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Youngster’s yorkers stun Trent Rockets as he snares three wickets at the death

Dan Mousley took 3 for 9  •  ECB via Getty Images

Birmingham Phoenix 138 for 6 (Bethell 46*) beat Trent Rockets 132 for 8 (Hales 38, Mousley 3-9) by six runs

Dan Mousley snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Birmingham Phoenix against Trent Rockets in The Hundred with a stunning final ten deliveries.

The young all-rounder took three wickets for just three runs to see Phoenix over the line from an almost impossible situation.

With the Rockets chasing 138, only ten runs were needed from the last ten balls with five wickets remaining, until Mousley took matters into his own hands by sending down spearing yorkers to bowl Lewis Gregory and Rashid Khan, before dismissing Jordan Thompson for a golden duck.

The Rockets had earlier been cruising to victory – going at a run a ball for the first 20, which only included two boundaries.

The new top-ranked men’s Test batter in the world Joe Root came into the side and accelerated the scoring during the powerplay, with 17 from his first six balls, including a trademark reverse scoop to clear the rope.

When he was dismissed for 33 from 19 balls, Rockets pushed singles and twos on their way to the target but approaching the finishing line the hosts lost Rovman Powell and Sam Hain to consecutive balls, which allowed pressure to build and the Rockets ultimately came up short.

Jacob Bethell‘s unbeaten 46 had earlier dragged Phoenix to what was thought to be a sub-par 138 from the first 100 balls of the match.

The English youngster showed all of his talent at the back-end of the innings with an array of shots from his 29 balls at the crease.

Many of his Phoenix team-mates had struggled to score quickly thanks to world-class bowling from the Rockets attack, but their total proved to be enough – thanks in the main to Mousley.

Meerkat Match Hero Mousley said: “I was just trying to get as many yorkers in as I possibly could, and keep it under the bat and try to get them to make a mistake.”

In relation to the pace of his bowling, he added: “It’s one thing I’ve got on my side. I’m pretty lucky to have it and just try and use it to my advantage.

“We just wanted to stay in the game as long as we could. We know what cricket is like, the closer you get to the finish, the more nervous everyone gets and it is about who can keep their cool the longest.”