Manchester Originals skipper Jos Buttler, speaking to Sky Sports: "It's nice to build that momentum. We certainly needed that after losing the first three. We know we are under pressure but we have nothing to lose. With all this to keep you busy and a whole host of entertainment right on your doorstep, we're confident you won't be able to stay for long enough. Coach Charlotte Edwards has made a few minor tweaks to the squad and there are few weaknesses, which means they are the leading contenders again. Pyle's Wikipedia article is worth a look, especially the introduction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Pyle

Will Smeed hit the first century of The Hundred as Birmingham Phoenix produced a fine all-round display to defeat reigning champions Southern Brave at Edgbaston. It was a good throw and a good catch. She caught it like an outfielder. But no sooner did she have it in her arms than the crowd was upon her. Kids and adults both tore at the box, scratched and yelled and grabbed, and in five seconds the box was empty and torn. Hero of the match Will Smeed to Sky Sports: "It was obviously a great feeling coming off the the applause but to get the win as well and the atmosphere was awesome, so that's the main thing.Pyle was an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful man, and this comes ultimately comes across quite strongly. The former just holds the weight in an irritating way in the first half of the book. But when he gets it right, he loops the aspects of the human condition that are universal through time into his descriptions of war seamlessly, and it's poignant to our time, most so in his final words:

It means the Originals have the chance of going one better than their defeat in last year's final, while Brave miss out on the opportunity to add to the title they won in 2021. Manchester Originals captain Jos Buttler on BBC Two: "We're through, and that's the main thing. We are disappointed to lose tonight but we're still in it.That honesty comes out especially in his last reports, those from Normandy following D Day. His description of the lost belongings at the shore - a metaphor for lost lives - id powerful as an account of the cost of the operation. In these reports there is less of the corny humour with which Pyle leavened his earlier writings. The description of coming under "friendly fire" bombing is chillingly vivid. One officer went into an orchard to try to find where the tanks were. In wartime nobody ever knows where anything is. The rest of us waited along the road beside an old stone barn. Three jeeps were parked beside it. The dusk was deeper now. Out of the orchards around us roared and thundered our own artillery. An officer lit a cigarette. A sergeant with a rifle slung on his shoulder walked up and said, "You better put that out, sir. There's snipers all around and they'll shoot at a cigarette." This book is a classic. The modern, flashy books written by historians today are well-written and well-researched, but there is no good substitute for the real thing-- and this book is it. I wish Ernie Pyle had survived the war, but he left behind a wonderful collection of stories that people like me can enjoy today. It's a learning lesson that you don't have to hit every ball out of the middle of the bat. And hopefully the more I play the more I can learn and improve."