Hasan Ali’s Hat-Trick Leads Birmingham Bears to Victory

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali delivered an outstanding performance, claiming six wickets, including a hat-trick, as Birmingham Bears secured a convincing 58-run win against Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast match held at Edgbaston on Sunday.

This victory signifies the Bears’ second consecutive home win, bolstering their campaign.

After being put in to bat, Birmingham Bears set a competitive score of 199-6, thanks to a solid opening partnership from Tom Latham and Alex Davies.

Latham scored a fluid 58 runs from 42 deliveries, while Davies contributed a rapid 49 off 29 balls, building a 79-run partnership for the first wicket. Despite Derbyshire’s efforts to restrict scoring—Pat Brown took 3 for 40—the target proved too challenging.

In response, Derbyshire were all out for 141 in 19.1 overs, facing an early collapse at 29 for 4 within the initial four overs.

Although Ross Whiteley (50 off 37) and Wayne Madsen (46 off 32) offered some resistance, the Falcons were unable to recover.

Hasan Ali stood out with the ball, achieving remarkable figures of 6 for 23. Following an initial breakthrough, he returned to dismantle the tailenders, securing four wickets in the later stages of the innings, including a hat-trick.

Ali’s hat-trick victims were Whiteley (caught at long-off), Alex Thomson (caught at mid-on), and Ben Aitchison (bowled).

George Garton also played a significant role, matching the T20 world record for the most catches taken in an innings by a non-wicketkeeper, with five. Additionally, he added 12 runs off the final three balls.

Due to veteran all-rounder Samit Patel’s calf injury, Derbyshire had to utilize a depleted squad. Fynn Hudson-Prentice, acquired on a brief loan from Sussex, was included in the XI but couldn’t prevent the top-order from collapsing.

Warwickshire displayed sharp fielding throughout the game. Garton caught Caleb Jewell off his own bowling and made difficult catches to dismiss Aneurin Donald and David Lloyd. Hasan continued to inflict damage, dismissing Martin Andersson at point before achieving his hat-trick.

With successive victories, the Bears appear to be a strong unit, while Derbyshire has had a poor start to their campaign with four defeats in four games, leaving numerous concerns to address.