Sunrisers Leeds Women produced a dominant performance against Birmingham Phoenix Women in the 24th match of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026, chasing down a target of 108 with nine wickets in hand and 31 balls remaining at Birmingham. The victory was built around a superb unbeaten half-century from Phoebe Litchfield, who smashed 71* off just 33 balls, while Lauren Winfield-Hill provided excellent support with an unbeaten 26. Birmingham Phoenix, meanwhile, struggled to build sustained momentum after losing wickets at regular intervals despite a fighting 47 from Emma Lamb and a brisk 31 from Ellyse Perry.
Birmingham Phoenix’s innings began with an early setback as Davina Perrin was dismissed for a six-ball duck, caught by McCarthy off the bowling of Cassidy McCarthy, leaving Phoenix without a run on the board. Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey attempted to rebuild, but the partnership never really settled. Beaumont scored 4 from six balls before being bowled by Kate Cross, while Capsey contributed six from six, including a boundary, before falling to Jess Jonassen. By the time Capsey departed, Birmingham Phoenix had slipped to 9/2 and were already under pressure.
Ellyse Perry then brought some much-needed stability to the Phoenix innings.
Coming in with the score at 9/2, Perry attacked whenever opportunities presented themselves and struck six fours in her 22-ball 31. She added 17 runs with Capsey before the latter’s dismissal and then combined with Emma Lamb for a crucial 29-run partnership. Perry was eventually caught by Litchfield off Jonassen when the score reached 55, but her counter-attacking innings had given Birmingham a platform from which to recover. Lamb then took responsibility for carrying the innings forward, producing one of the most important knocks of the match. Annerie Dercksen joined Lamb and the pair added 34 runs, taking Phoenix from 55/4 to 89/5.
Dercksen made seven from 12 balls before being caught by Sutherland off Sharma. Jemima Spence then contributed only one from four balls before falling to Deepti Sharma, leaving Phoenix at 100/6. Fatima Sana scored one from three before being trapped lbw by Sharma, while Alana King made two from four before being caught by Winfield-Hill off Sharma. Lamb, who had played the anchor role brilliantly, was eventually run out by Litchfield and Winfield-Hill for a valuable 47 from 34 balls, with six fours. Linsey Smith remained unbeaten on two and Lauren Filer was unbeaten on one as Birmingham Phoenix finished on 107/9 from their 100 balls.
For the Sunrisers, Cassidy McCarthy finished with 1/21 from her 15 balls, while Kate Cross claimed 2/14 from 15 deliveries. Jess Jonassen took 1/15, Annabel Sutherland returned 1/19 from 20 balls, Hannah Baker conceded 20 without a wicket, and Dani Gibson bowled five balls for six runs. Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler with 3/11 from 15 balls, but even her impressive figures could not compensate for the lack of scoreboard pressure
The Phoenix bowling attack then had the task of defending a modest total, but Sunrisers Leeds made the chase look remarkably straightforward. Fatima Sana was responsible for the first breakthrough, dismissing Bryony Smith for 12 from nine balls, with Smith’s wicket arriving when the Sunrisers were 24/1. Smith’s brisk contribution had helped Sunrisers make a fast start, but the early dismissal proved to be little more than a temporary interruption.
Phoebe Litchfield then took complete control of the chase. The Australian batter was sensational, combining clean strokeplay with aggressive running between the wickets to race to an unbeaten 71 from only 33 balls, including 13 fours and a six. Litchfield’s innings provided the defining moment of the match. Lauren Winfield-Hill complemented her perfectly, remaining unbeaten on 26 from 27 balls with three boundaries. The pair added an unbeaten 87-run partnership for the second wicket, completely taking the game away from Birmingham Phoenix.
Birmingham’s bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught despite several changes. With only 108 required, Sunrisers Leeds reached 111/1 in just 69 balls, winning by nine wickets with 31 balls to spare. Birmingham Phoenix showed glimpses of resistance through Perry and Lamb, but their frequent loss of wickets prevented them from accelerating consistently. Sunrisers Leeds, on the other hand, turned the chase into a one-sided contest through Litchfield’s remarkable 71 and Winfield-Hill’s composed unbeaten 26.
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