The Blaze Women held their composure in a tense run chase to edge past Yorkshire Women by three wickets with five balls to spare in the 52nd match of the Women’s T20 Blast 2026 at Leeds. After Yorkshire fought hard with several useful contributions to post a competitive 122 all out in 19.5 overs, The Blaze looked to be in trouble at various stages of the chase before Charli Knott produced one of the finest innings of the tournament. Her unbeaten 84 guided the visitors home as they reached 123/7 in 19.1 overs, keeping their strong campaign firmly on track.
Batting first after being asked to set a target, Yorkshire Women made an aggressive start through Ami Campbell and Erin Thomas. The opening pair added 10 runs for the first wicket before Campbell’s entertaining cameo of 9 from just five balls, featuring two boundaries, came to an end when she was caught by Georgia Elwiss off Charley Phillips. Yorkshire slipped to 10/1 in the first over, but Erin Thomas quickly found support from Jess Jonassen to steady the innings.
Thomas and Jonassen stitched together a valuable 34-run partnership for the second wicket, rebuilding patiently while rotating the strike effectively. Jonassen looked particularly fluent during her 23 off 22 balls, striking five boundaries before she was caught by Georgia Elwiss off Kirstie Gordon, leaving Yorkshire at 44/2 in 5.6 overs. Thomas continued to anchor the innings and shared another productive stand with captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who played positively from the outset.
The experienced pair added 39 runs for the third wicket, taking Yorkshire into a promising position. Thomas contributed a composed 23 from 23 deliveries, including two boundaries, before she was caught by Elwiss off Grace Ballinger at 83/3 in the 11.4th over. Winfield-Hill continued to lead from the front, scoring 29 off 22 balls with three boundaries, but just when Yorkshire looked capable of pushing beyond 140, Charli Knott produced a crucial breakthrough by trapping the skipper leg-before. That dismissal left Yorkshire at 89/4 after 12.2 overs and shifted the momentum towards The Blaze.
The middle order struggled to build substantial partnerships as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Sterre Kalis fought hard for her 23 off 24 balls, adding 15 runs alongside Sarah Glenn before Glenn was caught for 3 by Josie Groves off Charley Phillips. Yorkshire slipped to 104/5 in the 15.1st over. Shortly afterwards, Alice Clarke was run out without scoring, making it 104/6, before Beth Langston managed just 1 prior to becoming Kirstie Gordon’s second victim at 106/7 in the 16.1st over.
Kalis attempted to revive the innings alongside Hannah Rainey, and the pair added 14 runs for the eighth wicket, but Ballinger returned to dismiss Kalis, who had struck three boundaries during her patient innings. Yorkshire were reduced to 120/8 in the 19.2nd over. Rainey was then run out for 5, while Jessica Woolston was bowled by Ballinger for a duck on the final ball of the innings. Holly Garton remained unbeaten on 2 as Yorkshire were bowled out for 122 in 19.5 overs, with four extras contributing to the total.
The Blaze’s bowlers delivered a disciplined all-round performance. Grace Ballinger finished as the most successful bowler with 3/31 in 3.5 overs, removing Erin Thomas, Sterre Kalis and Jessica Woolston to clean up the tail. Kirstie Gordon impressed with 2/17 from four overs, dismissing Jess Jonassen and Beth Langston while maintaining excellent control. Charley Phillips claimed 2/18 from three overs, accounting for Ami Campbell and Sarah Glenn during key phases of the innings. Charli Knott chipped in with 1/19 from four overs, taking the important wicket of Lauren Winfield-Hill, while Kathryn Bryce (0/20) and Lucy Higham (0/16) kept the scoring under control despite finishing wicketless. A sharp run-out also removed Alice Clarke and further dented Yorkshire’s progress.
Chasing 123, The Blaze endured a nightmare start as Yorkshire struck twice inside the opening three overs. Sarah Bryce was dismissed for a duck after a mix-up with Marie Kelly, who herself scored only 5 from 12 balls before Beth Langston removed her. Those early blows meant The Blaze were struggling at 15/3 in the third over, with Kathryn Bryce also falling cheaply for 2 after being bowled by Jess Jonassen.
With the chase in danger of slipping away, Charli Knott took charge. She first shared a modest nine-run partnership with Georgia Elwiss, but Elwiss was trapped leg-before by Sarah Glenn without scoring, leaving The Blaze at 24/4 after 4.6 overs. Knott, however, remained unfazed and began rebuilding the innings with intelligent strike rotation and timely boundaries.
Her first major alliance came alongside Emma Jones, with the pair adding 17 runs for the fifth wicket. Jones contributed just 2 before Jessica Woolston claimed her wicket, making it 41/5 in the 7.1st over. Knott then found an ideal partner in captain Kirstie Gordon, and together they transformed the contest with the match-defining 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Gordon played the perfect supporting role, compiling 24 from 30 deliveries, including two boundaries, while Knott accelerated confidently against both pace and spin. Their stand carried The Blaze from a precarious position to within touching distance of victory before Gordon was caught by Sterre Kalis off Woolston at 116/6 in the 17.6th over.
Yorkshire sensed another opportunity when Josie Groves departed for a first-ball duck, bowled by Beth Langston, reducing The Blaze to 117/7 in the 18.2nd over. Nevertheless, Knott refused to let the game slip away. Supported calmly by Lucy Higham, who remained unbeaten on 1, Knott guided the visitors across the finish line with five balls to spare.
Knott’s remarkable unbeaten 84 from 57 deliveries proved to be the difference between the two sides. The Australian all-rounder struck 11 boundaries and one six, maintaining a strike rate of 147.36, while pacing her innings superbly under pressure. Her innings accounted for more than two-thirds of The Blaze’s successful chase and stood out as one of the finest individual knocks in this season of the Women’s T20 Blast 2026.
Yorkshire’s bowlers battled throughout the contest and repeatedly kept themselves in the game. Holly Garton produced an outstanding spell of 2/17 in four overs, dismissing Sarah Bryce and Darcey Carter while conceding just one run in a maiden over. Jessica Woolston also picked up 2/26 from four overs, removing Emma Jones and Kirstie Gordon at crucial moments. Jess Jonassen bowled with her usual accuracy to return 1/25, while Sarah Glenn claimed 1/30 by dismissing Georgia Elwiss. Beth Langston chipped in with 1/17 from three overs, removing Marie Kelly and later cleaning up Josie Groves, while Hannah Rainey bowled the final over without taking a wicket.
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