Birmingham Phoenix have turned to Australian left-armer Ben Dwarshuis as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman in The Hundred 2026. Mustafizur has been ruled out for at least four weeks with a Grade 1 knee muscle tear, which ends his chance of becoming the first Bangladeshi player to appear in the competition. The Phoenix had signed him for £100,000 before the tournament.
Dwarshuis returns to the Phoenix
Dwarshuis played for the Phoenix in 2022 and comes back after a strong Major League Cricket 2026 season with Washington Freedom. There he took 16 wickets in eight matches and also scored quickly, striking at 202.70 over six innings, which suggests useful all-round value in the 100-ball game.
Head coach Shane Bond welcomed the 32-year-old, praising his experience and variety. Bond said Dwarshuis has shown he can perform in T20 leagues around the world, with the new ball or at the death, and that the club was looking forward to having him.
His most recent Hundred appearances came in 2024 for the Northern Superchargers, now Sunrisers Leeds, when he took four wickets in two games. He is also three T20 appearances short of 200 matches in the format.
Phoenix squad and opening fixture
Birmingham Phoenix start their campaign against Trent Rockets at home on July 24. Their overseas group also includes Donovan Ferreira, Mitchell Owen and Usman Tariq.
Ferreira will captain the side because Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. Joe Weatherley has been signed to replace Bethell after impressing in the 2026 T20 Blast.
