that will be that! The Birmingham Phoenix have gone back-to-back, and the Southern Brave, defending champions, are still winless in 2024! Zipped in full on leg stump. Bell gives the charge, perhaps in pre-meditated fashion. Ends up yorking herself and the ball sneaks under the bat, going on to smash leg stump soon after. Smiles all around in the Phoenix camp, and it looks like they enjoyed this win, having been behind in this game about half an hour ago. Another missed opportunity for the Brave, and their winless streak continues!
Phoenix vs Brave, 13th Match at Birmingham, Women's Hundred, Aug 03 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary
Phoenix won by 16 runs
1:55pm That will be all from us for this game. Plenty of Hundred action still in store, though, and you can catch all the action on ESPNcricinfo. Until next time, from Vairavan and me, this is goodbye!
Amy Jones is the Meerkat Match Hero: Always good to come through for the team and to get a win on the board, it is a great feeling. Going in, we were looking at 140-150, so we were a bit short of that. In the tactical time-out, we decided someone needed to bat through and with intent. Arlott's innings there was the difference. Clearing the fence with ease - that is what we needed. Pez's (Perry's) start was unbelievable. When you have someone like that, who can deliver such performances, it is a huge lift for the team. We were really good in the field and backed up the bowlers. (On what has changed) Acknowledging that we were not very far away (from winning). Very easy to group last season with this season but Pez has been clear on separating the two, and happy with the win today.
1:48pm At the half-way stage, 137 felt a middling score. But now, it feels plenty. And all of that was because the Birmingham Phoenix bowled their hearts out. An accomplished display, headlined and set up by captain Perry, who bagged three wickets across a ten-ball sequence. The spinners then got into their groove, with Baker, Levick and Pavely doing their jobs perfectly. Pavely, like Perry, finished with a three-wicket haul, and only gave away 21 runs from her 20-ball spell.
A classic case of running out of steam in a run-chase for the Brave. They were going very well, especially when Kemp and Wyatt were at the crease, having consolidated after an early collapse. Both, though, fell in relatively quick succession and they just could not recover. Their much-vaunted top order also failed to come to the party and those are aspects they will want to rectify, especially as push comes to shove and a playoff spot threatens to slip away.
Tossed up on a length outside off. Bell advances and tugs it down the ground towards long off. A slight misfield and that prompts the batters to risk the second. Not the wisest decision in the world, though. The throw comes in at the bowler's end and Levick whips off the bails, with Cheatle short of her ground!
18 off 5. The Southern Brave need something truly special to get across the line from here. Levick to bowl
full outside off. Bell sits deep in her crease and gives it the lot. Does not middle it but chips it enough to long off's right to pick up another brace
full toss outside off. Bell reaches out for it and clinks it towards long off. Both batters decide to chance their arm on the second and eventually make it
Here's Bell
nicked and gone! The Southern Brave are nine down! Length ball angled across and hung up wide outside off. Dattani goes chasing after it because she has no other choice. Loses shape, though, and is off-balanced when she tries to make contact. All she manages is a nick through to Jones, who makes no mistake!
full and pushed across the batter outside off. Dattani has a wild whoosh across the line and only connects with the fresh Birmingham air
full and wide outside off. The last thing the Phoenix need at this stage. Called a wide, unsurprisingly
length outside off. Cheatle goes back and across before slapping it down the ground to long off
24 off 10. Arlott to bowl. Who are you backing? Brave have it all to do
shortish outside off. Cheatle stays back and guides it towards short third, who does not field it cleanly but does enough to stop the second
Cheatle in at 9. Pavely goes over the wicket
edged and taken! Another super take by Amy Jones! Fired in on a length just outside off. Southby shapes for the cut but that is neither as wide to cut nor as short. Gets a feather and Jones, after a bit of a juggle, clings on. Given out by the umpire, and Southby has to walk back for a two-ball duck!
fullish just outside off. Southby opens her bat face and dabs it towards backward point. Dot ball to start off
Southby is the new batter in. Brave need 25 off 13
massive appeal, and looks very adjacent! Darted in on a back of a length on off. Tryon moves across, trying to access the leg side. Gets too far across, though, and cannot connect with her swipe. Gets rapped on the front pad, in front of off stump, and the umpire raises his finger. Tryon has reviewed because, well, why not. But if she has not gotten bat on this, it could be curtains. No bat involved, and Ball Tracking has the ball crashing into middle and off stump!
Around the wicket to Tryon
full outside off. Dattani gets down on one knee and drags it towards deep backward square leg
26 off 15. This is getting very tense. Perry has five balls left. Here's Pavely for now
and Brave get the boundary they are after! A bit of a drag-down on middle and leg. Dattani rocks back and pummels it over mid wicket!
30 off 16 now. Brave need a boundary soon
slowed up on a length on leg stump. Tryon advances but can only jam it on the bounce to mid off. Just a single
tossed up on a fullish length just outside off. Dattani scuffs it back past the bowler. Tryon is a little late to take off, because she was diving at the bowler's end, trying to make her ground had the ball deflected onto the stumps. Has to then put on the after-burners and eventually completes the single, courtesy another dive
fizzed through fuller outside off. Dattani goes feeling for it and the ball sneaks past the outside edge with the angle. Jones whips off the bails too but Dattani's back foot is grounded behind the crease
low full toss on the pads. Dattani flicks it away towards deep mid wicket. Good effort by Wilson to keep it to two
34 off 20. 1.7 runs per ball needed. Tryon can clear the fence, but the Phoenix have all the momentum currently
back of a length delivery that finishes on leg stump. Dattani plays all around it and the ball deflects off the pads towards short third. Tryon tries to sneak in a single but things have been made interesting by a direct hit at the batter's end. No damage done, and Tryon stays!
full outside off. Tryon takes a step down the track and slaps it towards long off