Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis will start for the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2026 in place of the injured Mustafizur Rahman. The Birmingham-based team’s first game of the new season will be played at home against the Trent Rockets on Friday, July 24.
Rahman has been sidelined for at least four weeks due to a grade 1 muscle injury in his knee. The left-arm bowler was supposed to be the first cricket player from Bangladesh to feature in The Hundred after being signed by the Phoenix for GBP 100,000.
Meanwhile, Dwarshuis returns to the team for which he participated in just one game in 2022.
The 32-year-old took 16 wickets in eight games while playing Major League Cricket for the Washington Freedom squad.
“Ben is a fantastic addition to the squad and someone who brings proven quality, experience, and versatility with the ball.” Dwarshuis, a fantastic lower-order batsman, struck at 202.70 in the six innings he batted in the recently concluded tournament, demonstrating his usefulness in a competition with just 100 balls per innings.
Birmingham Phoenix head coach Shane Bond stated on the team’s official website, “He has demonstrated his ability to perform in T20 competitions around the world, whether with the new ball or at the death, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Birmingham Phoenix.”
The Australian international last played in The Hundred in 2024, when he was a member of the Northern Superchargers (now Sunrisers Leeds) and claimed four wickets in two games. He is now just three games away from 200 in the shortest version of the game.
Dwarshuis now plays alongside international players like Donovan Ferreira, Usman Tariq, and Mitchell Owen. The former was named team captain after Jacob Bethell was eliminated from the competition due to a knee ailment. The Phoenix selected Hampshire batsman Joe Weatherley to replace the left-handed batsman after he made an impression in the 2026 T20 Blast.
