Phoenix had to win to keep their hopes of winning the tournament alive and looked down and out as their chase faltered only for Erin Burns and Emily Arlott to pave the way for a memorable away win; Phoenix rise to fifth in the table, one point and one spot behind Rockets
Friday 13 August 2021 22:34, UK
It was do-or-die for Birmingham Phoenix in the race for a spot in next week’s Eliminator game in The Hundred and Erin Burns lit up Trent Bridge when it really mattered…
Phoenix pulled off an unlikely victory as they battled back from 71-6 to reach their victory target of 126 off 94 balls!
Rockets scored 125 off their 100 balls as Abigail Freeborn (30 off 23) and Heather Graham (26 off 23 balls) top-scored, putting on a stand of 54, and then Katherine Brunt once again removed dangerous Phoenix opener Shafali Verma (16).
The game seemed up for Phoenix as they lost six cheap wickets only for Burns (38) and Emily Arlott (22 off 14) to turn the tables in sensational style!
It had to be Burns' night! Her six fours helped her to score at a strike-rate of 146.15, while Arlott ran her a close second in the hero stakes! Special mention to Phoenix's Kirstie Gordon (3-26), who briefly became joint-top wicket-taker in the tournament by dismissing Freeborn and Graham in the same over, only to be overtaken by Rockets' Sammy-Jo Johnson, who finished with 3-22.
Nat Sciver, with over 200 runs in the tournament, was run out for 18 by a brilliant throw from the deep by Katie Mack! Up to that moment she looked in complete control and who knows how many Rockets might have posted had she got her bat back in time!
Katherine Brunt could not believe it - and you might not either when you see the England international bowled behind her legs by Gordon. What a way to go!
Erin Burns: "We knew that this was a must-win game for us - our season was on the line so we're stoked with the win. We just tried to stay calm - this is a big ground and there is plenty of room to run your singles hard so we were just trying to take the game deep knowing we had a bit of firepower too."
The women's tournament continues on Saturday with a London derby as the Oval Invincibles entertain London Spirit in a re-run of the opening match of The Hundred! You can watch a live stream of that one on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel or catch it on Sky Sports Mix from 3pm.
Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports between now and August 21.
