Birmingham Phoenix have added batter/keeper Chris Benjamin to the men’s team squad for The Hundred to replace his Birmingham Bears teammate Adam Hose, who has had to withdraw from the tournament due to a foot injury.
Benjamin (22) struck an unbeaten 60 from 34 balls on debut for the Bears in Sunday’s all-important Vitality Blast game at Edgbaston, having previously impressed in the second XI, scoring a record 149 from just 66 balls for against Glamorgan last month and captaining the side to the seconds’ T20 title.
He is part of the Warwickshire squad for tomorrow’s Royal London Cup match with Glamorgan in Cardiff, before joining up with the Phoenix.
Dan Vettori, Head Coach of Birmingham Phoenix, said: “We’ve had a lot of good reports about Chris from our local contacts at Warwickshire and he played a fantastic innings on Sunday, which was even more impressive given that it was his senior debut.
“Whilst he is still very young, we want to build a squad that can grow together and consistently challenge for The Hundred title year after year. Chris has a great chance to make an immediate impression and be part of this squad for a long time.”
Dan Vettori, Birmingham Phoenix Head Coach
Birmingham Phoenix have also secured Warwickshire and England legend Ian Bell as an additional coach, who will support Dan Vettori and Assistant Coaches James Franklin and Alex Gidman.
“Ian is a legend at Edgbaston and has won T20 titles around the world as a player, so it’s fantastic that we can tap into his experience throughout the tournament.”
Birmingham Phoenix start The Hundred at Edgbaston on Friday 23 July versus London Spirit, with the women’s team getting underway at 3pm and the men’s team at 6.30pm.
The Hundred will be broadcast entirely on Sky, including all women’s and men’s games. It will also be covered extensively across the BBC, including live television coverage of 10 men’s games and multiple live women’s matches, including the women’s opening game and The Hundred Final.
Tickets for The Hundred are great value for money at £5 for under 16s, with adult tickets starting at £10, and under-fives going free. Refund policies will be in place should matches be affected by Covid.
