Phoenix's power-packed batting trumps Banton's late blitz in high-scoring thriller

Birmingham Phoenix rode a breathtaking batting display from their top-order before holding off a spirited Trent Rockets chase to register a 10-run win in a six-hitting spectacle at Edgbaston. As many as 29 sixes were hit across the two innings, with Phoenix amassing 214 before restricting Rockets to 204 despite Tom Banton's blistering late assault.

Set a daunting target, Rockets made a flying start through Ben Duckett and Finn Allen, who raced to an unbroken 54 in the Powerplay and kept the required rate under control. But the breakthrough Phoenix desperately needed came from Pakistan offspinner Usman Tariq, who forced Allen into a mistimed loft that was safely held at long-on.

Duckett continued to attack before Scott Currie produced a sharp delivery that seamed away just enough to find the outside edge. The twin blows left Rockets with work to do, and their chase gradually drifted off course.

Tariq then dealt another decisive blow by dismissing Tim David for just 2, with Joe Clarke completing a smart catch behind the stumps. While Banton launched a ferocious counterattack with a 32-ball 67, Rockets had left themselves too much to do and eventually finished short.

Earlier, Phoenix's batting unit made merry on a true Edgbaston surface. Joe Clarke and Will Smeed set the tone by plundering 54 runs in the opening 25 balls. They added 104 off just 49, with both bringing up half-centuries. Clarke led the charge with a sparkling 68 off just 33 balls, with seven fours and four sixes.

Even after Clarke departed with the score on 104, the momentum never dipped. Rehan Ahmed smashed five sixes in a blistering middle-order assault before captain Donovan Ferreira provided the finishing touches with a nine-ball cameo featuring three towering maximums. Phoenix finished with 17 sixes, equalling the tournament record, while remarkably Smeed's 51 off 28 balls, scored at a strike rate above 180, was the slowest among the four who threw their bats around successfully.

Calvin Harrison was the lone bright spot with the ball for Rockets, returning economical figures of 2 for 27 from his 20 balls amid the carnage. He also tonked the last two balls of the chase for sixes to finish with 12 off 2, but that wasn't enough on a night dominated by Phoenix's explosive batting.

Brief Scores: Birmingham Phoenix 214/4 in 100 balls (Joe Clarke 68 off 33, Will Smeed 51 off 28, Rehan Ahmed 48 off 25; Calvin Harrison 2-27) beat Trent Rockets 204/7 in 100 balls (Tom Banton 67 off 32, Ben Duckett 49 off 25, Finn Allen 43 off 17; Usman Tariq 2-36) by 10 runs.