Liam Livingstone heroics in vain as Southern Brave defeat Birmingham Phoenix to claim men's Hundred title

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals need not worry despite the absence of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes for the 2021 edition which is set to resume soon. If the performance of Liam Livingstone in the final of the maiden edition of the Hundred is taken into consideration, the Rajasthan-based franchise enjoys the presence of a performer capable of emerging as a game-changer singlehandedly. Livingstone smashed 46 runs off 19 deliveries in an innings comprising of four boundaries and sixes apiece at a strike rate of 242.10, after his side Birmingham Phoenix were handed a target of 169 runs from 100 deliveries. The 28-year-old helped his side compete despite enjoying limited support from the rest of the batsmen, eventually resulting in a defeat by 32 runs.

Southern Brave live up to their pre-tournament billing

Eventual winners Southern Brave lived up to their pre-tournament billing, as the strongest side in the men’s Hundred. Their performance in the final was an indication of the dominance showcased throughout the edition. The franchise had recorded a run of six wins to reach the final, having suffered defeats in their opening two games.

Paul Stirling smashed 61 runs from 36 balls, with Ross Whiteley (44* off 19 deliveries) providing valuable support after Adam Milne made his presence felt in the Powerplay. Whiteley’s knock comprised of four boundaries and sixes apiece, showcasing the destruction he is capable of. The duo helped Southern Brave post a total of 168/5, which seemed unlikely at one stage.

Birmingham Phoenix fail to make their presence felt

The Birmingham Phoenix players failed to get off to a strong start which is supremely vital in case of run chases of this nature. Livingstone however seemed supremely confident on the night, and was on course to match his fastest fifty from earlier in the week. However, an unexpected run out while completing a couple of runs, saw him walk back to the pavilion, making it all the more difficult.

Skipper Moeen Ali attempted to smash a few sixes as the required run rate increased to more than two per ball. Tymal Mills ensured a fine finish to proceedings, closing out with figures of 20-11-13-1.

Livingstone sounded extremely sad following the defeat. However, he had words of praise for the tournament having been named as the most valuable player of the edition.

“Obviously very disappointed [we couldn’t win] but to play in front of a packed house at Lord’s is a great day. We were beaten by a great team. You don’t play in finals every day so you want to soak it all in and we were beaten by a better team. I think it’s been years of hard work traveling around the world to get better at my own game playing in different franchise tournaments and now it’s great to have our own here,” said the English cricketer as quoted by Cricinfo.

“To see so many kids here today, it’s been great. It’s been brilliant. We didn’t really know what to expect at the start of the tournament but it’s gotten stronger and stronger. Selling out grounds is great and hopefully it can keep growing for the future. Ultimately we were beaten by the better team on the day but it doesn’t take away that we played some really good cricket through the tournament,” he concluded.