Birmingham Phoenix’s season opener has been thrown into last-minute turmoil: captain Jacob Bethell has been ruled out with a knee injury sustained during England’s ODI series against India, handing the leadership to South African finisher Donovan Ferreira and bringing Hampshire’s Joe Weatherley into the squad as a replacement just a day before the match.
Trent Rockets, under new captain Sam Billings — a three-time Hundred title winner with MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles) — arrive at Edgbaston as the form side after reaching last year’s final.
This preview covers both squads, conditions at Edgbaston, the head-to-head record, and our prediction for Match 4.
Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets – Details
Here are the key details for Match 4 of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026.
| Match | 4th Match, Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets |
| Tournament | The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026 (6th edition) |
| Date | Friday, 24 July 2026 |
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| Time (India) | 11:00 PM IST |
Winning Odds for BRM vs TRE
| Platform | BRM Win Odds | TRE Win Odds |
| 1xBet | 1.98 | 1.56 |
| 4rabet | 2.11 | 1.64 |
| BetVibe | 1.95 | 1.54 |
| Stake | 2.08 | 1.62 |
Birmingham Phoenix & Trent Rockets Squads for The Hundred 2026
Birmingham Phoenix’s squad has been reshaped in the space of 24 hours: Jacob Bethell’s injury withdrawal hands the captaincy to Donovan Ferreira, while Joe Weatherley — fresh off a 591-run T20 Blast campaign for Hampshire — comes in as his direct replacement, and Matthew Montgomery has already been added earlier in the week to cover the injured Ethan Brookes.
Trent Rockets, by contrast, arrive settled, with Sam Billings leading a top order built around Tim David, Ben Duckett, Tom Banton and Finn Allen.
Birmingham Phoenix
Donovan Ferreira (c), Joe Weatherley, Matthew Montgomery, Rehan Ahmed, Sean Dickson, Mitch Owen, Will Smeed, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Scott Currie, Tom Helm, Saqib Mahmood, Mustafizur Rahman, Usman Tariq, Jordan Thompson, Chris Wood.
Trent Rockets
Sam Billings (c), Tim David, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Finn Allen, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Craig Overton, Danny Briggs, Lewis Gregory, Dan Mousley, Aneurin Donald, Ben Mayes, Louis Kimber, Ben Raine, Ben Sanderson, Mohammad Amir.
Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets – Pitch & Weather Report
Edgbaston has a clear bat-first bias in the Hundred, which will likely factor heavily into both captains’ toss thinking.
Pitch Report
The surface offers something for the bowlers early without becoming a genuine minefield, based on the venue’s recent Hundred history.
| Factor | Details |
| Pitch Behaviour | A well-grassed surface that offers seamers assistance with the new ball before flattening out and becoming easier to score on as the innings progresses. |
| Batting Conditions | The average first-innings score at Edgbaston in the Hundred sits around 145, broadly in line with the tournament norm. |
| Bowling Assistance | New-ball seam is the main early threat — Trent Rockets themselves were bowled out for just 118 in this exact fixture last season, showing how quickly the conditions can turn testing. |
| Ground Dimensions | A large, traditional Test-match outfield that tends to reward well-timed cricket shots over pure power. |
| Toss & Conditions | Teams batting first at Edgbaston have won around 67% of decided Hundred matches, a significant edge that makes winning the toss valuable here. |
Weather Report
Conditions look settled for the Friday evening fixture, with little risk of a rain-affected match.
| Factor | Details |
| Temperature | A forecast high of around 25°C, dropping to roughly 14°C by the back end of the match. |
| Weather | A largely dry, settled summer evening is expected. |
| Precipitation | Under a 5% chance of rain according to the latest Met Office forecast. |
| Humidity | Moderate for a British summer evening, unlikely to add significant swing beyond the new ball. |
| Wind | Light winds forecast, with gusts unlikely to reach a level that troubles either side. |
Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets – Head-to-Head in The Hundred History
Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets have shared a closely contested rivalry in The Hundred, with neither side establishing a clear dominance.
| Matches | Birmingham Phoenix Won | Trent Rockets Won | No Result |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Birmingham Phoenix won both meetings during the 2024 season, while the teams split their encounters in 2025, including a match in which Phoenix bowled Trent Rockets out for 118.
With the rivalry evenly poised heading into the 2026 season, both teams will be looking to gain the upper hand when they meet again.
Players to Watch for Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets
The late change at the top of Birmingham Phoenix’s order makes their new captain the most closely watched player on the ground, while Trent Rockets’ top order carries as much individual firepower as any in the competition.
| Player (Team) | Why They Matter |
| Donovan Ferreira (BP) | Thrust into the captaincy just a day before the match after Jacob Bethell’s injury, the South African finisher has genuine Hundred pedigree from MI London’s recent title-winning squads. |
| Joe Clarke (BP) | In good recent form with 229 runs at a strike rate of 153.69 across his last eight matches, and now a key senior batting presence given the squad disruption. |
| Chris Wood (BP) | Phoenix’s leading recent wicket-taker with 7 scalps in his last seven matches, and the bowler most likely to exploit Edgbaston’s new-ball assistance. |
| Sam Billings (TR) | Leads Trent Rockets after captaining MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles) to three straight Hundred titles — one of the most successful leaders in the competition’s history. |
| Tim David (TR) | One of the most destructive finishers in white-ball cricket, capable of turning a modest total into a match-winning one in a handful of balls. |
| Tom Banton (TR) | Trent Rockets’ leading run-scorer from last season with 257 runs, and the player most likely to set the tone at the top of the order. |
Winner Prediction
Trent Rockets go into this one as the settled, in-form side — reaching last year’s final, adding proven leadership in Sam Billings, and fielding a top order of David, Duckett, Banton and Allen that few attacks in the competition can match. The betting market’s clear preference for a Rockets win backs that picture up.
Birmingham Phoenix’s recent head-to-head record against this exact opponent — beating them home and away in 2024, and bowling them out for 118 last season — offers a genuine reason for caution before writing them off, and Edgbaston’s history of rewarding the team that bats first adds an extra variable.
But losing a captain to injury less than 24 hours before the opener is a real disruption, and Trent Rockets’ overall squad depth makes them the favourites to start their season with a win.
