Report: Phoenix v Brave, The Hundred Women

Birmingham Phoenix, inspired by captain Ellyse Perry, made it two wins from two by squeezing the life out of Southern Brave to win by 16 runs at Edgbaston.

Starting the day filling the bottom two places in the table, both sides knew a win was essential to boost their qualification chances. 

With a hint of rain in the air, Phoenix were put in by Georgia Adams and a steady start was only interrupted when 16-year-old slow-left armer Tilly Corteen-Coleman struck with her first ball – a feat she has achieved more than once already this season – to have Sophie Devine palpably lbw. 

She struck again, Rhianna Southby effecting a smart stumping to get rid of Sterre Kalis, forcing Perry and Amy Jones to consolidate. 

They did so with aplomb before Perry tried to beat long-on but only found the safe hands of Maia Bouchier. 

With the score at roughly a run a ball at the halfway stage, acceleration was necessary and it came from Jones and a cameo of 22 in 12 balls from Emily Arlott that included two sixes. 

Jones’s half-century saw Phoenix up to 137-7 at the halfway mark, with Lauren Cheatle having conceded  just 14 runs from her 20-ball allocation.

After a three-boundary blitz from the returning Smriti Mandhana at the start of the Brave innings, it became the Elysse Perry show, as the Aussie legend picked up three key wickets – Mandhana, Bouchier for a duck, and skipper Adams – in her first ten deliveries. 

Danni Wyatt and Freya Kemp steadied the ship, the former striking a typically belligerent 33-ball 43 before Charis Pavely got rid of Kemp and Hannah Baker induced an error from Wyatt.

At 92-5 from 69 balls, the momentum was with the Phoenix, and all of their bowlers stuck to their task admirably, throttling the Brave innings as the required run-rate climbed and the visitors simply ran out of steam.

Meerkat Match Hero Amy Jones said: “Emily Arlott’s innings was the difference. Clearing the fence with ease. And Pez’s start was unbelievable. When you have someone like that, who can deliver such performances, it is a huge lift for the team.

“We were really good in the field and backed up the bowlers.”