Trent Rockets produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat Birmingham Phoenix by nine wickets in The Hundred at Edgbaston.
The Rockets bowled Phoenix out for just 64, the joint-second-lowest total in the history of the women’s competition, before completing the chase with an extraordinary 69 balls remaining.
Samantha Bates starred on her Hundred debut with figures of 3 for 10, while Georgia Elwiss claimed 3 for 13. Together, the pair returned combined figures of 6 for 23 from 40 deliveries, including 25 dot balls.
Phoenix Collapse After Difficult Start
After being asked to bat first, Birmingham Phoenix struggled immediately against a disciplined Rockets attack. Kim Garth bowled the opening 10 deliveries of the innings and conceded only two runs, while also dismissing Tammy Beaumont. Alice Capsey also departed early as Phoenix failed to build any momentum.
Elwiss then bowled Davina Perrin to leave the home side in serious trouble at 13 for 3 after 20 balls.
The collapse continued when Bates removed Annerie Dercksen and Jemima Spence in the space of two deliveries, reducing Phoenix to 14 for 5.
One ball later, Kayla Reyneke attempted to attack Katie Levick’s legspin but was brilliantly caught by Bess Heath, who ran in from long-on and completed a diving effort.
Perry Leads Brief Recovery
Ellyse Perry and Alana King attempted to rebuild the innings and carefully guided Phoenix to 27 for 6 at the halfway stage. Their partnership did not last much longer, however, as King edged the 51st delivery behind to hand Garth her second wicket. Perry then tried to increase the scoring rate, launching Australia teammate Ash Gardner down the ground for six to move to 25.
Eva Gray also looked to attack but picked out Heath at long-on while attempting a big shot against Elwiss.
Perry continued to battle and finished as Phoenix’s only batter to reach double figures. She was the final wicket to fall for 39, brilliantly caught in the deep by Emma Jones to give Elwiss her third dismissal.
Phoenix were eventually dismissed for 64.
Dunkley Finishes Chase in Style
Trent Rockets were without England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is expected to miss the opening two matches of the tournament while managing a calf injury. Her absence made little difference as the Rockets comfortably chased down their modest target.
Lauren Filer provided Phoenix with their only breakthrough when she bowled Beth Mooney for four with the score on 40.
Sophia Dunkley ensured there would be no further setbacks, racing to an unbeaten 43 from just 17 balls.
Sophie Luff also contributed to the rapid finish by striking three consecutive boundaries off Alana King as the Rockets reached 68 for 1 and sealed a nine-wicket victory.
Bates Praises Rockets’ Bowling and Fielding
Bates expressed her delight after making an immediate impact on her Hundred debut.
“It’s pretty cool to play my first game here with Trent Rockets and get the win on the board. We thought we’d go spin-heavy at Edgbaston and we’re glad that it paid off.”
She also credited Garth for setting the tone with the new ball.
“Kimmy [Kim Garth] bowled really well up front. It was nice that I kind of got the reward, but Kimmy really set the tone for us. We had a pretty frantic warm-up and I think we should stick to that because we fielded brilliantly out there.”
With Bates and Elwiss leading a ruthless bowling effort and Dunkley finishing the chase at remarkable speed, Trent Rockets made an emphatic statement with one of the most convincing victories in the competition’s history.
