11 hours ago
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Brilliant Buttler and Baker help Originals dominate Superchargers
Matthew Henry
BBC Sport journalist
Sonny Baker marked his first England call-up with a hat-trick as Manchester Originals boosted their men's Hundred hopes by beating rivals Northern Superchargers by 57 runs at Old Trafford.
Baker, called up for England's white-ball squads to play South Africa and Ireland next month on Friday, bowled Dawid Malan with a clever slower ball to reduce the Superchargers to 63-5 and returned at the death to wrap up the innings by dismissing Tom Lawes and Jacob Duffy.
Baker's first and second wickets may have been separated by 35 balls but his 3-21 continued a steady rise for the 22-year-old seamer who is having a breakout tournament.
His third wicket, which ensured Superchargers were all out for 114, was a perfect 88mph yorker to Duffy and was his seventh dismissal in the tournament.
The visitors were chasing 172 after Jos Buttler stroked 64 not out - his second fifty in as many innings - in Originals' 171-3.
When reaching his fifty he again looked to the sky in tribute to his father who died earlier this month.
While Buttler's innings provided the backbone of Originals' score, Heinrich Klaasen took the game away from Superchargers at the death by hitting 30 runs from the final seven balls.
The South Africa international had only 20 after 18 balls but ended 50 not out from 25 in a timely return to form.
The hosts only won one of their first four matches but join Southern Brave and London Spirit on eight points. Superchargers are four better off in third.
Baker takes hat-trick in Hundred against Superchargers
Livingstone's all-round display guides Phoenix to win
Image source, Getty Images
Liam Livingstone has the most runs in The Hundred this season
Liam Livingstone continued his fine form in The Hundred with a strong all-round display - picking up 2-26 with the ball before scoring an unbeaten 45 from 20 balls to guide Birmingham Phoenix to a seven-wicket win over London Spirt.
Chasing 127, Joe Clarke struck a 25-ball 54 to give the Phoenix a solid platform and captain Livingstone finished the job with a knock that included five sixes and a four.
The 32-year-old, who also struck an unbeaten 69 in the Phoenix's win against two-time defending champions Oval Invincibles on Tuesday, now has the most runs in this season's Hundred with 211.
The knock further strengthens Livingstone's reputation as one of the best finishers in The Hundred. He has scored 543 runs across 17 innings at an impressive average of 49.36 and a blistering strike-rate of 166 in chases.
However, he was left out of the England squads that were announced for the series against South Africa and Ireland on Friday.
The Phoenix skipper also picked up the wickets of Spirit opener David Warner and Ollie Pope as the Phoenix bowlers had delivered a masterclass in death bowling to restrict the Spirit to 126-6 after deciding to bowl first.
"It is a big win for us, we needed it," said Livingstone after the game.
"We are up against it in this tournament, we know we are, but all we can do is win games and try to improve our run-rate, then we'll see where we are."
The tone was set early when Trent Boult sent back Spirit opener Jamie Smith for a duck and though Kane Williamson offered some resistance with a 29-ball 33, the Phoenix never let the momentum slip away.
Remarkably, they did not concede a single boundary in the final 15 deliveries as Boult and Adam Milne tightened the screws to set the stage for the win.
Their second win of the season sees the Phoenix leapfrog the Spirit to sixth place on a superior net run-rate. With eight points, they are also level with the Manchester Originals and Southern Brave.
What is happening on Monday?
We're off to Southampton on Monday for a double-header between Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles.
The women's game gets going at 15:00 BST, with the men's match following at 18:30.
You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
