Marcus Stoinis instigated a remarkable turnaround as Southern Brave defended their small scoreline to register a 12-run win against Birmingham Phoenix in Southampton, thus registering their first victory in the 2026 Hundred tournament after four attempts.
Stoinis Anchors Brave’s Middle Order After Slow Start
Batting first at the Rose Bowl, Brave lost early wickets and struggled to build momentum. Jamie Smith fell for 6, and though Ben McKinney and Tom Abell added starts, neither converted. Stoinis walked in and changed the tempo almost immediately.
He took Scott Currie for back-to-back sixes, one of them travelling 98 metres, and pushed the total along before he was caught by Donovan Ferreira at short cover for 34 off 26 balls. His innings lifted Brave from a sluggish position to a defendable 128 for 8.
David Miller chipped in with 24, and useful late runs from Luke Wood took the total past 120. Rehan Ahmed picked up three wickets for Phoenix, while Ben Dwarshuis claimed two as the bowling side kept things tight through the middle overs.
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Phoenix Collapse From 52 for 1 Opens the Door
Chasing 129, Phoenix looked comfortable early. Will Smeed and Joe Clarke built a platform, and the total moved to 52 for 1 after 47 balls without alarm. That control disappeared within a handful of overs.
Smeed was caught at long-on attempting to clear the ropes off Wood. Rehan Ahmed, fresh from scooping Chris Jordan for six, miscued the very next delivery and was caught by Jofra Archer running in from long-on. Ferreira, the Phoenix captain, was then bowled by Archer swinging across the line, leaving his side at 65 for 4 and still needing 64 runs from 39 balls. Stoinis returned with the ball soon after and induced a nick from Laurie Evans, while Adil Rashid removed Mitchell Owen off an under-edge. Five wickets fell in the space of 30 balls, and the chase never fully recovered from that spell.
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Wood and Archer Close Out a Tense Finish
Sean Dickson tried to drag Phoenix back into contention, striking Jordan for two sixes in a late over, but the equation kept climbing. Archer bowled a five-ball set that conceded just two runs, pushing the target to 29 needed off the final ten deliveries.
Wood held his nerve at the death, picking up two wickets, and a sharp run-out involving Rashid sealed the match for Brave. Phoenix finished on 116 for 9, falling 12 runs short. Wood took 3 for 24, Archer 1 for 21, and Rashid 1 for 18 as the bowling unit shared the load across the innings.
Stoinis, named Player of the Match for his 34 with the bat and 2 for 16 with the ball, said the surface made batting first difficult to judge but rewarded bowlers who varied their pace and stayed consistent. The result lifts Brave level with Phoenix in the standings and keeps their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive heading into the next round of fixtures.
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