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The Hundred men’s competition, Edgbaston

Birmingham Phoenix 122-6 (100 balls): Livingstone 39 (30); Ferguson 3-20

Trent Rockets 123-4 (78 balls): Banton 43 (29); Howell 2-25

Rockets won by six wickets

Trent Rockets cruised to a six-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix to get off to a winning start in The Hundred.

The Rockets’ victory was built on a sterling bowling display with New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson taking 3-20.

A 63-run stand between captain Liam Livingstone and Joe Clarke helped Phoenix recover from 26-4 but their 122-6 was never likely to trouble the visitors.

England star Joe Root was bowled early in the chase but it did little to slow the Rockets’ charge.

It may only be one game but the Rockets look like they could be a force this year.

Every facet of their game was on point with plans executed superbly as they swept aside Phoenix at Edgbaston.

A power-packed Phoenix top-order was taken apart as the pace bowlers got the new ball swinging – David Willey bowling Ben Duckett before Ferguson pinned Aneurin Donald lbw with a brilliant in-swinging yorker.

Even as Livingstone and Clarke rebuilt for the hosts, the Rockets bowlers stuck to their plans with the seamers using slower balls into the pitch to good effect to keep the run-rate in check.

It left them with a modest chase, the kind of thing Root is perfect for but his early departure gave Banton and Rehan a chance to shine.

Neither are accumulators in the style of England’s all-time leading run-scorer but they were smart in when they chose to unleash their blistering attacking shots as they broke the back of the chase.

With Marcus Stoinis, Willey and Hose also in the line-up there is no shortage of power in the Rockets line-up, while in Root and Max Holden there is nous too.

We’ve got four games for you on Saturday with double-headers at The Oval and in Cardiff.

Oval Invincibles host Manchester Originals (11:00/14:30 BST) and you can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.

Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset produced dominant displays as they all made it two wins out of two to begin their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns.

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb 159, his highest List A score, to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in Group B.

Also on Friday, Surrey suffered a second successive Group A defeat, Ben Charlesworth hitting 80 as Gloucestershire triumphed by 85 runs in Guildford.

A day-night game at Taunton saw Somerset teenager Thomas Rew hit 84 not out as they chased 256 to beat Durham by four wickets.

At Wantage Road, Ul-Haq’s innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374-5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five runs short of their highest against any first-class county.

Facing 130 balls, he hit 20 fours and two sixes, beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019, and following up the half-century that steered Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.

He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from 33 balls.

In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, all out for 172 inside 39 overs.

George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising stand of 49 in eight overs but no one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty (4-38) was the pick of Yorkshire’s attack.

Elsewhere, Ollie Sykes struck a defiant 97 off 94 balls but Surrey were still overpowered by a far more experienced Gloucestershire.

Charlesworth hit four sixes and top-scored with his 83-ball 80 in Gloucestershire’s 293-9, before Josh Shaw spearheaded an excellent collective display with the ball to restrict Surrey to 208 all out in reply.

Somerset’s Alfie Ogborne took 5-41 to restrict Durham to 255-9.

Will Rhodes made 100 off 120 balls but received little support with six batters scoring 13 or less.

Somerset were wobbling after falling from 173-3 to 189-6.

However, 17-year-old Rew held his nerve superbly and put on 69 with Ben Green (34 not out) as they took the hosts to victory in the 47th over.

Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset produced dominant displays as they all made it two wins out of two to begin their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns.

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb 159, his highest List A score, to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in Group B.

Also on Friday, Surrey suffered a second successive Group A defeat, Ben Charlesworth hitting 80 as Gloucestershire triumphed by 85 runs in Guildford.

A day-night game at Taunton saw Somerset teenager Thomas Rew hit 84 not out as they chased 256 to beat Durham by four wickets.

At Wantage Road, Ul-Haq’s innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374-5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five runs short of their highest against any first-class county.

Facing 130 balls, he hit 20 fours and two sixes, beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019, and following up the half-century that steered Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.

He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from 33 balls.

In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, all out for 172 inside 39 overs.

George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising stand of 49 in eight overs but no one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty (4-38) was the pick of Yorkshire’s attack.

Elsewhere, Ollie Sykes struck a defiant 97 off 94 balls but Surrey were still overpowered by a far more experienced Gloucestershire.

Charlesworth hit four sixes and top-scored with his 83-ball 80 in Gloucestershire’s 293-9, before Josh Shaw spearheaded an excellent collective display with the ball to restrict Surrey to 208 all out in reply.

Somerset’s Alfie Ogborne took 5-41 to restrict Durham to 255-9.

Will Rhodes made 100 off 120 balls but received little support with six batters scoring 13 or less.

Somerset were wobbling after falling from 173-3 to 189-6.

However, 17-year-old Rew held his nerve superbly and put on 69 with Ben Green (34 not out) as they took the hosts to victory in the 47th over.