Report: Phoenix Women v SunRisers Leeds

SunRisers Leeds 111/1 beat Birmingham Phoenix 107/9 by nine wickets.

2026-08-07T17:20+01:00

Birmingham Phoenix Women fell to a nine-wicket defeat against SunRisers Leeds at Edgbaston on Friday.

The Phoenix were limited to 107/9 from their hundred balls, with Emma Lamb (46) and captain Ellyse Perry (31) leading the way.

SunRisers made light work of the total required for victory, however, and chased it down thanks in no small part to the brutal knock of Phoebe Litchfield, who finished on a blistering 71 not out from only 33 balls.

Put into bat by SunRisers, Davina Perrin exited for a duck before the Phoenix's innings was given lift-off thanks to an excellent straight drive by Alice Capsey, but the England star also had to make her way back to the pavilion when she sent a delivery up in the air which Kate Cross claimed off her own bowling.

That departure brought Perry to the middle. Fresh from her match-winning knock of 68 from just 46 deliveries on her most recent Edgbaston outing against Welsh Fire last Saturday, Perry flashed three fours in the first four balls she faced.

That injected impetus into the innings of the Phoenix, although Tammy Beaumont was clean bowled by Cross for four. It was then that Perry and Lamb began to accelerate.

Australian great Perry did eventually hole out to Jess Jonassen and that placed emphasis on the knock of Lamb, who had posted a well-made 45 at Trent Rockets on Wednesday.

SunRisers continued to make in-roads at the other end, though, and prevented Lamb from striking up another fruitful partnership with a teammate. South African Annerie Dercksen, wicket keeper Jemima Spence and bowling all-rounder Fatima Sana were all removed cheaply, before Lamb herself was run out when looking for a second run in order to keep the strike.

SunRisers openers Litchfield and Bryony Smith both played commanding shots at the beginning of the chase, but Alana King took an excellent catch in the deep off the bowling of Sana to remove the latter.

Australian international Litchfield, though, continued to apply major dents to the required total set by the Phoenix and at a rapid rate, too; she brought up her 20-ball fifty as part of a flurry of boundaries off the bowling of Linsey Smith as the SunRisers hurtled towards a convincing victory in the space of just 69 balls.