BPMvsSRLM

Birmingham Phoenix Men return to Edgbaston on 7 August 2026 for Match 24 of The Hundred Men’s Competition, with Sunrisers Leeds Men arriving after a sequence of high-scoring displays. The fixture brings together a Phoenix side looking to rediscover rhythm at home and a Leeds team that has already shown how quickly it can take a game away from opponents across 100 balls.

Edgbaston has already offered both extremes this season for Phoenix. On 24 July 2026, they piled up 214 for 4 against Trent Rockets Men and still had to defend against a chase of 204. Eight days later, 137 for 9 proved well short as Welsh Fire Men reached the target with four balls to spare. That contrast makes this a useful test of which version of the home side turns up, particularly against a batting unit that posted 241 for 2 in its most recent outing.

Conditions & Venue

The broader numbers at Edgbaston point to a ground where both innings can be productive. Across the recent The Hundred sample, the average first-innings score is 153 and the average second-innings score is also 153, suggesting no major drop-off for batting later in the game. What does stand out, though, is the chasing record: five of the last six matches here have been won by the side batting second, an 83.33% success rate.

That trend is reinforced by results involving Phoenix themselves. In 2025, they chased 126 against London Spirit Men in only 65 balls and overhauled 180 against Manchester Invincibles Men in 98 balls. Even when targets have grown substantial, batting second has remained viable. The one exception in the recent sample was Phoenix’s 214 for 4 against Trent Rockets Men on 24 July 2026, a score so large that it resisted a fierce response.

The wicket profile also offers a clear clue. Fast bowlers have taken 45 wickets in the sample compared to 17 for slow bowlers, so seam has had the stronger influence. That aligns with Edgbaston’s reputation for offering assistance early before becoming better for batting. In a 100-ball contest, those first few sets can therefore be especially important: if the quicks strike up front, they can shape the rest of the innings; if they do not, the ground has shown it can reward clean hitting all the way through.

Team Form & Head-to-Head

Phoenix come into this game on the back of four straight defeats in the competition. The pattern across those losses has been with the bat. They were dismissed for 100 in 97 balls by Manchester Super Giants Men on 26 July 2026, made 116 for 9 in reply to Southern Brave Men on 30 July 2026, then posted 137 for 9 and 111 for 6 in defeats to Welsh Fire Men and Trent Rockets Men. Their one win in this sequence was that explosive 214 for 4 at Edgbaston, which underlines both their scoring ceiling and the inconsistency that has followed.

Sunrisers Leeds Men present a different recent picture. They have won three of their last five matches, and their victories have been built on strong batting outputs. They chased 182 against Manchester Super Giants Men in just 88 balls on 28 July 2026, defended 187 for 5 against Southern Brave Men on 25 July 2026, and then surged to 241 for 2 against London Spirit Men on 4 August 2026. Even in defeat to Trent Rockets Men on 2 August 2026, they remained competitive in a chase, finishing on 141 for 4 in pursuit of 146.

The most recent head-to-head sample also favours Sunrisers Leeds. At Headingley on 15 August 2025, they beat Phoenix by 35 runs after posting 192 for 5. Birmingham’s reply of 157 for 9 never quite matched the tempo set by the hosts. That match featured substantial contributions from both sides, but it was Leeds who controlled the contest for longer.

Players to Watch

For Phoenix, much attention falls on Donovan Ferreira, their captain and a player with the power to change the pace of an innings in a handful of balls. His best Hundred score in the supplied record is 63 from 29 balls at Edgbaston in 2025, a reminder that the ground can suit his range. He also made 23 from 21 balls here against Welsh Fire Men on 1 August 2026. Against this opposition, his matchup numbers are mixed but lively: he has taken 18 runs from six balls off Benny Howell, though Howell has dismissed him once.

Rehan Ahmed offers Phoenix value in both disciplines. At this venue he struck 48 from 25 balls against Trent Rockets Men on 24 July 2026, an innings that showed his ability to add momentum through the middle and closing stages. With the ball, he claimed three wickets against Southern Brave Men on 30 July 2026. His past meetings with Sunrisers Leeds batters are also encouraging: he has dismissed Graham Clark twice in 13 balls and removed Dan Lawrence while conceding only two runs in four balls. Just as notably, Harry Brook has managed only four runs from six balls against him in the available matchup sample.

The seam-friendly balance at Edgbaston gives added relevance to Scott Currie and Saqib Mahmood. Currie has already taken two wickets here this season, against Trent Rockets Men on 24 July 2026, while Mahmood has prior wicket-taking returns at the ground, including three wickets in 13 balls in a 2025 Hundred appearance and one wicket for Phoenix here against Welsh Fire Men this season. If Phoenix are to contain Sunrisers Leeds’ top order, their quicks are likely to have a major say.

For the visitors, Ryan Rickelton arrives as one of the standout recent performers in the match. His 94 from 42 balls against London Spirit Men on 4 August 2026 was the centrepiece of a towering 241 for 2, and it highlighted just how much damage he can do at the top of the innings. In a competition where early momentum can compress an entire chase or set up a huge total, that kind of opening burst is invaluable.

Zak Crawley, the Sunrisers Leeds captain, adds another layer of top-order assurance. He made 56 from 34 balls against Manchester Super Giants Men on 28 July 2026 and struck 45 from 23 balls in the 2025 meeting with Phoenix. That head-to-head innings matters because it showed his ability to score rapidly against this attack profile. Even in the limited direct matchup sample, he has handled Scott Currie without being dismissed.

Then there is Matthew Potts, whose influence could be especially important on this surface. In the 2025 contest against Phoenix, he took three wickets for 26 runs from 20 balls, including the wicket of Joe Clarke in four balls while conceding only five runs. With Edgbaston’s recent numbers favouring fast bowling, Potts looks well placed to test a batting order that has not made a substantial score since that 214 against Trent Rockets Men.

Benny Howell adds useful all-round depth. His best Hundred bowling returns in the supplied sample include two wickets at Edgbaston on two separate occasions in 2025, and his head-to-head record against Phoenix batters includes the wickets of Rehan Ahmed and Donovan Ferreira. Those small matchup wins can become significant in a short-format game.

Final Word

This game sets up around two strong themes: Edgbaston’s marked preference for successful chases, and the contrast between Sunrisers Leeds’ recent batting surge and Phoenix’s search for a steadier run output. The new-ball influence of fast bowlers should matter on a ground where seamers have taken far more wickets than spinners, but if the top orders survive that early examination, the scoring potential is evident.

Phoenix have already shown at Edgbaston in 2026 that they can push a match into extraordinary territory, while Sunrisers Leeds have done exactly that with a 241 for 2 only days before this fixture. Whether the contest is shaped by early wickets or by another free-scoring chase, the ingredients are there for a fast-moving and high-quality Hundred encounter.