The Hundred: Birmingham Phoenix falter in play-off pursuit with defeat to Manchester Originals
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone claimed 3-8 from her 20 balls in a superb display, with seamer Kate Cross claiming 2-14 to start the Phoenix collapse; Birmingham bowled out for 104 off the final ball in pursuit of Manchester Originals' 122-6 batting first
Sunday 28 August 2022 18:40, UK
Birmingham Phoenix failed to book their spot in The Hundred play-offs as they succumbed to an 18-run defeat to Manchester Originals, who in turn stay in the hunt for a top-three spot with a game to go.
Story of the match
Birmingham would have guaranteed their passage through to the knockouts with victory in front of their home fans at Edgbaston but, chasing 123 to win, they came up well short, bowled out for 104 off the final ball.
- Scorecard: Birmingham Phoenix vs Manchester Originals
- The Hundred - latest standings | The Hundred - upcoming fixtures
The Phoenix chase got off to the worst possible start as the top-order suffered an almighty collapse. England pace bowler Kate Cross (2-14) saw off both openers, Eve Jones for a second-ball duck and skipper Sophie Devine for four.
Amy Jones (6) and Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry (5) also fell cheaply, and when England spinner Sophie Ecclestone (3-8) trapped Sophie Molineux lbw for three, the hosts were reeling at 22-5 after 34 balls.
Georgia Elwiss (32) and Issy Wong (24) briefly rallied the innings with a 46-run stand but Birmingham never truly threatened their target as they slipped to their inevitable defeat, with the superb Ecclestone running through the tail late on.
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Earlier, opener Emma Lamb - who made her England Test and one-day international debuts earlier this summer - top-scored with 30 off 21 balls in the Originals' total of 122-6.
Lamb and South African big-hitter Lizelle Lee (20 off 16) shared in a 53-run partnership off just 35 balls that promised a greater score for the visitors, but only Erin Burns (28 off 25) and Ecclestone (20 off 14) really capitalised off the platform provided.
It still proved to be more than enough, however, for Manchester to secure their second win of the women's competition. They need a third in their final game, and a few other results to go their way, to earn a play-off spot.
What they said...
Hero of the Match, Sophie Ecclestone: "A great afternoon. I love contributing to a win.
"We've got nothing to lose now, so we just came out and wanted to play some great cricket. If we get through, we get through.
"We're a really close unit as a team. We spend so much time together and get on really well, which you don't get in most sides.
"We're all absolutely buzzing and are made up."
Manchester Originals captain, Kate Cross: "We were probably 10-15 runs under par in the first innings. But it was quite a tricky pitch actually, so we knew if we bowled well we'd have a good chance of defending it.
"The tournament has been really frustrating, because we've challenged all of the teams, but we have found ways to lose.
"And as for Sophie, she proved today why she's world number one [in T20 international cricket]. I need more than 20 balls from her - I wish I could."
What's next?
Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire are next to meet in The Hundred in a Bank Holiday Monday double-header.
The Hundred Live
The Fire finally earned a first win in the women's competition, at the fifth time of asking against Northern Superchargers on Friday, while it is the last chance for the men to get a first win on the board in their final group game. The Rockets women will move into the top three with a victory, while the men will confirm their place in the play-offs with one.
The Hundred Live
The women are up first from 3.30pm, with the men to follow from 7pm. Both games are live on Sky Sports The Hundred and Sky Sports Mix and are also available for free via live streams on skysports.com, the Sky Sports App and the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel.
As for the Phoenix and Originals, their final group games are at the London Spirit and against the Oval Invincibles on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Watch every match from The Hundred this summer live on Sky Sports.
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