Hasan Ali’s hat-trick powers Bears to dominant win over Derbyshire

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali produced a sensational six-wicket performance, including a hat-trick, to guide Birmingham Bears to a commanding 58-run victory over the struggling Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast at Edgbaston on Sunday. 

The win marked back-to-back home triumphs for the Bears, further strengthening their campaign.

Put in to bat, Birmingham posted a formidable 199-6, with openers Tom Latham and Alex Davies providing the ideal platform. 

Latham struck a fluent 58 off 42 balls while Davies blazed 49 off 29, the pair adding 79 runs for the first wicket. Though Derbyshire managed to stem the scoring rate later on—Pat Brown finishing with 3 for 40—the total proved well beyond their reach.

In reply, Derbyshire faltered to 141 all out in 19.1 overs. The innings got off to a disastrous start, slumping to 29 for 4 within the first four overs. 

Despite resistance from Ross Whiteley (50 off 37) and Wayne Madsen (46 off 32), the Falcons never recovered.

Hasan Ali was the star with the ball, returning extraordinary figures of 6 for 23. After striking early, he came back to dismantle the lower order, claiming four wickets late in the innings—including a hat-trick. 

His victims in the hat-trick included Whiteley (caught at long-off), Alex Thomson (caught at mid-on), and Ben Aitchison (bowled).

George Garton also played a pivotal role, equaling the T20 world record for the most catches in an innings by a non-wicketkeeper, with five. He also contributed with the bat, smashing 12 runs off the final three balls he faced.

With veteran all-rounder Samit Patel sidelined due to a calf injury, Derbyshire were forced to field a stretched squad. Fynn Hudson-Prentice, brought in on a short-term loan from Sussex, featured in the XI but couldn’t prevent the top-order collapse.

Warwickshire’s fielding was sharp throughout. Garton took a return catch to dismiss Caleb Jewell and held on to stinging efforts from Aneurin Donald and David Lloyd. Hasan continued the damage, dismissing Martin Andersson at point before unleashing his hat-trick heroics.

The Bears now look a well-oiled unit with back-to-back wins, while Derbyshire’s campaign has started in disastrous fashion—four defeats in four matches and plenty of concerns to address.