Phoenix collapse to joint-lowest Hundred total as Rockets set record chase
Trent Rockets chase down 65 in just 31 balls, with Sophia Dunkley’s 43 not out leading a dominant performance that extends Phoenix’s recent struggles in the Women’s Hundred.
Birmingham Phoenix suffered a comprehensive defeat against Trent Rockets at Edgbaston on 24 July 2026, being bowled out for 64 in their Women’s Hundred match. The result marks the joint second-lowest team total in the competition’s history, with Phoenix previously holding the record for the lowest score of 54 against Northern Superchargers in 2024. Trent Rockets successfully chased the target in just 31 balls, securing a nine-wicket victory that stands as the fastest win in terms of fewest balls faced in the tournament.
The match continued a trend of low scoring in the early stages of the competition, with conditions at Edgbaston described as bowler-friendly. Phoenix’s opening pair, Davina Perrin and Tammy Beaumont, were dismissed for two and a duck respectively, allowing debutant Samantha Bates to take 3-10 for the Rockets. Although Phoenix strengthened their batting lineup earlier in the year with the acquisition of Perrin, last year’s breakout star, and Tammy Beaumont, the new partnership failed to establish a foothold against a Rockets attack led by Bates and seamer Georgia Elwiss, who took 3-13.
Ellyse Perry top-scored for Phoenix with 39 runs from 33 balls, playing a solitary innings as no other batter reached double figures. Perry’s effort included two fours and two sixes, but she was dropped by Ash Gardner on nine, a miss that likely would have resulted in an even larger margin of victory for the Rockets. Perry was the only Phoenix batter to demonstrate clear intent against the bowling, while others struggled with technique and decision-making on a surface that favoured the bowlers.
Trent Rockets’ chase was dominated by Sophia Dunkley, who scored 43 not out from just 17 balls. Dunkley, who has recently been in and out of England’s T20 World Cup side, hit eight fours and a six to guide her team to victory with minimal difficulty. Her performance highlighted the disparity between the two sides, as she made the pitch appear conducive to batting while Phoenix’s batters struggled to cope with the movement and accuracy of the Rockets’ bowlers, which also included Kim Garth’s 2-5 and Katie Levick’s 1-8.
The defeat extends a period of difficulty for Birmingham Phoenix, who have finished bottom of the table in 2023 and seventh in subsequent seasons. The result follows a pattern of poor starts, with London Spirit also bowled out for 80 in their opening match, while the highest total so far has been Southern Brave’s 126. The match underscores the challenges Phoenix face in adapting to competitive conditions, despite recent squad changes and the addition of experienced players to their roster.
