The injured Mustafizur Rahman has been replaced by Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis in the Birmingham Phoenix lineup for The Hundred 2026. On Friday, July 24, the Birmingham-based squad will host the Trent Rockets in their opening game of the new season.
Rahman had a grade 1 muscle tear in his knee, keeping him out of action for at least four weeks. The Phoenix recruited the left-arm bowler for GBP 100,000, and he was scheduled to become the first cricketer from Bangladesh to participate in The Hundred.
Meanwhile, Dwarshuis returns to the team for which he played just one game in 2022. The 32-year-old recently played Major League Cricket with the Washington Freedom, where he took 16 wickets in eight matches.
Dwarshuis, a lower-order batsman, scored 202.70 runs in six innings, demonstrating his usefulness in a competition with only 100 balls per innings.
“He’s demonstrated his ability to perform in T20 competitions around the world, whether with the new ball or at the death, and we’re excited to welcome him to Birmingham Phoenix,” Birmingham Phoenix head coach Shane Bond remarked on the official website.
The Australian international last played in The Hundred in 2024, taking four wickets in two games for the Northern Superchargers (now Sunrisers Leeds). In the game’s simplest edition, he is currently just three games away from 200.
Dwarshuis now joins a roster loaded with international talent, including Mitchell Owen, Usman Tariq, and Donovan Ferreira. Following Jacob Bethell’s elimination from the competition due to a knee injury, he was chosen team captain.
After impressing in the 2026 T20 Blast, Hampshire batsman Joe Weatherley was appointed the Phoenix’s left-handed batter replacement.
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