Trent Rockets Keep Knockout Hopes Alive with Thrilling 3 Wickets Victory Over Birmingham Phoenix
The Trent Rockets defeated the Birmingham Phoenix by three wickets to advance to The Hundred (Women’s) knockout stages in a high-stakes match at Edgbaston.
The Rockets’ thrilling victory, which they secured with just three balls remaining, brought them level on points with the Northern Superchargers, who are currently in third place, and escalated their playoff rivalry.
Key Performances and Match Results
Birmingham Phoenix 112 for 6 (Kalis 47, Ghosh 41) lost to Trent Rockets 114 for 7 (Sciver-Brunt 34) by three wickets.
In the Hundred at Edgbaston on Monday, the Trent Rockets prevailed over Birmingham Phoenix in a nerve-wracking must-win match. In a tight match, the Rockets defeated the Northern Superchargers by three wickets with just three balls remaining to equalize the score and maintain their chances of making the knockout stages.
Birmingham Both teams, with six points in the standings and a chance to salvage their seasons, decided to bat after Phoenix won the toss. Sophie Devine was injured and couldn’t play, so Phoenix had to make due without her.
Phoenix had to change their batting order as a result, but their new top order was short-lived as they lost three early wickets in the first 15 balls, including skipper Ellyse Perry, Fran Wilson, and Amy Jones, before they had reached double figures. Perry was major wicket taken by Alexa Stonehouse, while Sciver-Brunt got rid of her former roommate Wilson and maid of honor Jones with the first ball.
Sciver-Brunt exclaimed, “I was really pleased with how the ball came out today.” “I probably haven’t had that much success or that much consistency, so I was very happy with my personal bowling performance today.”
Sterre Kalis and Indian star Richa Ghosh put up 95 for a record fourth-wicket partnership in the women’s Hundred, making Phoenix’s comeback both remarkable and vital. They took the hosts to 112 for 6, with Ghosh making 41 from 36 and Kalis making 47 from 44.
Sciver-Brunt concluded with statistics of 2 for 16 after taking early wickets. Ashleigh Gardner, an Australian international spinner, took 2 for 17 after taking crucial late wickets.
Bryony Smith and Nat Wraith were removed in the first 20 balls, giving Phoenix the early wickets they needed to defend their modest score. Sadly for Phoenix, that brought Sciver-Brunt, this year’s top run scorer in The Hundred and, in fact, the holder of the record for the highest aggregate in women’s tournament history, to the crease.
The visitors appeared to be cantering in the chase with Sciver-Brunt and Gardner at the crease, but a spate of wickets at a critical juncture from balls 70-80, including a timed run-out by Perry, made things appear much worse for the Rockets. The Rockets were trying to fight their way across the finish line, not for the first time, but this time it was an important game.
They had enough in the locker to cross the line this time, with Katie George finishing alongside Groves to keep the Rockets’ hopes of going farther in the Hundred. They benefited from a contentious no-ball call that saw Josie Groves given a reprieve after initially being given out caught.
“In terms of the chase, we probably got ahead of it a bit earlier and gave ourselves a bit of relief towards the end, so the pressure didn’t build up too much,” Sciver-Brunt stated. “I was really happy that the two batters, who hadn’t faced many balls, came out at the end and finished the job. They were very brave.”
It feels great to win this time around because we’ve had so many close games. Everything is still in our control; if we win our final game against the Oval Invincibles, we’ll finish in the top three.”
