NS vs BP, Review | Adil Rashid’s crucial spell takes Superchargers to a 36-run win against Phoenix

08/16/2025

Northern Superchargers beat Birmingham Phoenix by 36 runs at Headingley on August 15. Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, and Harry Brook set the platform with a huge score, and Adil Rashid changes the game with two big wickets as the Superchargers jump to the top of the table after the win.

‌Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and chose to field first on a nice and hard surface, hoping to restrict the Northern Superchargers to a chaseable total. However, the Superchargers' opening batter, Zak Crawley, had other ideas, taking the attack to the bowlers while Dawid Malan took his time at the crease at the other end. With Crawley’s carnage, the hosts had slammed their way to a score of 57/0 after 25 balls. Though Crawley’s explosive knock of 45 off 23 deliveries eventually came to an end as he was dismissed by Phoenix skipper Liam Livingstone, Malan started to find his feet and started to score his runs freely. The hosts were in a solid position after 50 balls, with the score reading 94/1 after 50 balls. The Chargers never lost control as Malan was supported well by Michael Kyle Pepper at the other end. The duo put on 71 runs for the second wicket before Pepper was dismissed by Tim Southee on the 73rd ball. With 51 runs coming in the next 25 deliveries, the Superchargers were looking to set a massive total on 145/2 after 75 balls. While there was some respite for the visitors with Chris Wood striking twice with two consecutive wickets. The left-arm seamer brought an end to Malan’s terrific knock, 58 off 34 deliveries, and followed it with trapping David Miller LBW of the very next ball. Unfortunately, those two dismissals did not cause a break in the scoring rate as Superchargers skipper Harry Brook (31* off 14 deliveries) and Dan Lawrence's (15 off 7 deliveries) fifth-wicket partnership made sure the team reached a massive total of 193/5 in the end.

The Phoenix needed a good start to chase down the big total set by the Chargers, but they ended up losing wickets in an attempt to put some quick runs on the board. While they managed to score 41 runs in the power play, the three quick wickets and terrific opening spells from Jacob Duffy and Matthew Potts put them in a spot of bother. Despite the terrible start to their chase, Livingstone and Jacob Bethell managed to rescue their team from a tough position to keep the chase alive. With 49 runs coming off the next 25 balls, the Birmingham score was 90/3 after 50 balls. It seemed like Phoenix would run away with the game, with the two batters looking good at the crease until Adil Rashid broke the 80-run stand in his third over by dismissing Bethell for 48. As a couple of more tight overs followed after the dismissal, the chasing team were in a tricky position at 124/4, needing 70 off the last 25 deliveries. The Superchargers finally gained complete control of the game as Rashid returned for his final over to dismiss the Phoenix captain, who was looking dangerous on 46 off 31 deliveries. This dismissal was followed by a double wicket over by Tom Lawes, who dismissed the last recognized batters in Louis Kimber and Benny Howell. In the end, it was a comfortable win for the home side, as Potts and Duffy handled things at the death and the team cruised to a 36-run win. This win also helped the Boys in purple jump to the top of the points table.

Adil Rashid was the player of the match for his crucial spell of 2/26 in 20 balls.