The experienced duo of Ashleigh Gardner and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt steal the show as Trent Rockets hold their nerve to clinch a low-scoring thriller
Manchester Originals led by skipper Sophie Ecclestone defeated the Northern Superchargers led by skipper Hollie Armitage by 17 runs at Old Trafford, Manchester in the 27th match of the season. Birmingham Phoenix led by skipper Ellyse Perry was all set to face Trent Rockets led by skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt at Edgbaston, Birmingham in the 28th match of the season.
Birmingham Phoenix skipper Ellyse Perry won the toss and opted to bat first. Issy Wong replaced Sophie Devine in the playing 11 for Birmingham Phoenix. Trent Rockets on the other hand played with the same 11 that took the field against Southern Brave in their previous encounter. Skipper Ellyse Perry’s promotion to open the innings alongside Sterre Kalis in the absence of Sophie Devine, didn’t work as they lost her wicket on the 8th ball of the innings. Alexa Stonehouse provided the first breakthrough for Trent Rockets.
A bad start got even worse as they lost the wickets of Fran Wilson and wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones on successive deliveries. The Rockets reduced Birmingham Phoenix to 9/3 in the first 15 balls of the innings, courtesy of a double blow from Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt. Richa Ghosh joined opening batter Sterre Kalis at the crease and the duo stitched a massive and much-needed 95-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side past the 100-run mark.
Ashleigh Gardner struck twice to remove Richa Ghosh and Emily Arlott on successive deliveries to provide the much-need breakthroughs for Trent Rockets. Double strikes restricted a late flourish with the bat for Birmingham Phoenix. The Ellyse Perry-led side eventually ended up with a total of 112/6 in their quota of 100 deliveries. Sterre Kalis (47 off 45 balls), and Richa Ghosh (41 off 36 balls), were the top performers with the bat for Birmingham Phoenix.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (20-11-16-2), Ashleigh Gardner (20-12-17-2), and Alexa Stonehouse (15-10-14-1) were the top performers with the ball for Trent Rockets. Chasing a target of 113, the Trent Rockets openers Bryony Smith and Grace Scrivens got their side off to a good start with an 18-run opening partnership. Katie Levick picked up the wicket of Bryony Smith to provide the first breakthrough for Birmingham Phoenix.
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Wicket-keeper batter Natasha Wraith soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Birmingham Phoenix. Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Grace Scrivens at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 33-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark. Emily Arlott picked up the wicket of Grace Scrivens to provide the 3rd breakthrough for her side.
Ashleigh Gardner joined skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 36-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side closer to the 100-run mark. Charis Pavely picked up the big wicket of the opposition skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt to provide the 4th breakthrough for Birmingham Phoenix.
Trent Rockets suffered a mini collapse as they lost their next three wickets for just 12 runs to keep Birmingham Phoenix interested towards the fag-end of the contest. Josie Groves joined Katie George at the crease and the duo managed to hold their nerve under pressure to take their side over the line with an unbeaten 13-run 8th wicket partnership. Trent Rockets eventually sealed the game with three wickets in hand and three balls to spare.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (34 off 25 balls), Ashleigh Gardner (20 off 12 balls), Grace Scrivens (19 off 23 balls), and Bryony Smith (13 off 8 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Trent Rockets. Emily Arlott (20-8-21-2), Charis Pavely (20-7-21-2), Issy Wong (20-12-15-1), and Katie Levick (17-6-25-1) were the top performers with the ball for Birmingham Phoenix.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant all-round performance. She returned with sensational match figures (20-11-16-2) with the ball and apart from her exploits with the ball, she also made a vital contribution (34 off 25 balls) with the bat. She alongside Ashleigh Gardner played a crucial role in helping their side keep their playoff qualification fate in their hands.