No team so far in the Hundred have compiled more points than the Phoenix, having won 11 of their 16 league stage matches, the same as Trent Rockets.
They have based their success around the sublime all-round talents of England internationals Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, helped by a number of quality options throughout the team.
Phoenix look to have strengthened again for 2023 and will be a formidable outfit once again.
Birmingham Phoenix 2022 Hundred performance
Phoenix were one of three teams tied on ten points but they finished fourth due to their inferior net run rate. Nonetheless, it was a solid showing from the Edgbaston side once more.
Their top runscorer was also a history-maker, with 101 of Will Smeed's 179 runs in the tournament coming in a single innings, thus making him the first player to score a century in the Hundred. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 172.1, considerably more than anyone else.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn terms of runs, he was very closely followed by Moeen, Livingstone and Australian Matthew Wade. While the trio did not score quite as quickly as Smeed, they did strike impressively at 157.8, 145.4 and 156.8 respectively.
Moeen scored 172 in eight innings, while Livingstone scored 173 in two fewer innings and Wade scored 174 in seven visits to the crease. Other support largely came from Miles Hammond, who scored 118 in seven innings.
It was generally a consistent team selection, with exactly 11 players playing at least six times. Chris Benjamin, Benny Howell and Tom Helm all helped chip in with the bat.
Helm was the Phoenix's top wicket-taker with 14, while Aussie pacer Kane Richardson took 13. Those two, along with Benny Howell who claimed nine victims, were the pick of the bowlers.
Embed from Getty ImagesImran Tahir was unusually both expensive and ineffective, taking just two wickets in six matches with an economy rate of above ten an over.
Changes in the draft
Like many, Birmingham did not see wholesale changes necessary in the 2023 Hundred draft. They retained both Adam Milne and Shadab Khan, overseas stars who did not actually play in 2022, along with England's Chris Woakes, who also did not turn out last season.
They made one of the biggest domestic signings of the draft, picking up Ben Duckett from Welsh Fire in the highest salary band. They also brought back Hammond and brought in Surrey 'keeper-batter Jamie Smith.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Phoenix's two Hundred 2023 wildcard picks were two local players from Warwickshire in Jacob Bethell and Henry Brookes, who played well for Birmingham Bears in the t20 Blast this season. The latter played a big part for the Phoenix last season, playing six times and taking six wickets.
How 2023 squad shaping up
Potential starting XI: Will Smeed, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Shadab Khan, Dan Mousley, Chris Benjamin, Benny Howell, Chris Woakes, Kane Richardson, Adam Milne
The squad generally looks strong, with a fairly seemingly clear best XI. Arguably, the biggest toss-up would be between Benjamin and Smith and possibly Howell and Helm.
The latter has played 15 out of the 17 matches for Phoenix but Howell offers a different bowling style and more with the bat. With Woakes, Richardson and Milne, the Phoenix already have a very strong stable of quicks.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe signing of Duckett looks to be a significant one, providing consistency and touch alongside the aggressive power of Smeed and Livingstone.
Should everyone be available, Moeen will likely have eight bowling options to fall back on, while the batting would go very deep down to Woakes at nine, each facet underlying the balance within the team.
Milne, who was exceptional for Phoenix in 2021, and Shadab will provide top quality in the bowling ranks alongside fellow overseas Richardson. Shadab will also contribute significantly with the bat in the middle order.
Shadab will only be available for the first two weeks, with Australian leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha replacing him from 14th August.
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