Sunrisers Leeds Women vs Birmingham Phoenix Women Match 24 Full Commentary

Welcome back, folks. 108 to chase for the Sunrisers Leeds Women. They would be hoping to finish this off as quickly as possible. The Phoenix players have sprung out to the field and formed a huddle in the center. Phoebe Litchfield and Bryony Smith are the two openers for the visitors, making their way to the crease. Fatima Sana has the new ball and is raring to go. Smith is on strike. Off we go again...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Easy chase? Looks like it, honestly. With the likes of Litchfield and Sutherland in the Sunrisers' ranks, both more than capable of knocking this off in a canter, Phoenix will need something close to a miracle with the ball to stop it. Remember, a defeat here ends their playoff hopes altogether, while a win for the Sunrisers pushes them right up alongside the pacesetters. Back in a bit with the run chase. Stay tuned.

Kate Cross is up for a quick chat - On picking up her two wickets, Kate Cross calls it nice to have contributed, adding that it was a proper all round team effort. When asked about Lamb's knock, she says Lamb batted well, but points out that the wickets Sunrisers picked up came at timely moments, which mattered given how batting-friendly the surface was, making it important to keep a lid on things where they could. On the pitch and conditions out there, Cross says it felt good to bowl on, noting that good areas were rewarded and they weren't too far off their best deliveries throughout. She adds that once Lamb got going, it simply became about using the conditions well, and that hitting through the line on this surface was always going to bring results. When she is asked about the total on the board, she says it's a score Sunrisers would have taken at the start of the match, and that if they bat well in the chase, they should feel comfortable getting there.

Perry and Lamb, the lone fighters - By the end of the Powerplay, Phoenix were reeling at 29/3. Their top order went up in smoke yet again in no time, with only Perry holding firm at the other end, keeping the scoreboard ticking with some proactive strokeplay. Just when things were starting to look settled for Phoenix, Jess Jonassen came back into the attack and struck gold, removing the big wicket of Perry. Birmingham found themselves in trouble at 55 for 4, and that's when Emma Lamb stepped into her captain's shoes and took charge, steering the innings towards something resembling a defendable total. The wickets, though, refused to stop tumbling at the other end. A brief 34-run stand for the fifth wicket offered some respite, but as the innings hurtled towards its end, Lamb was starved of strike, with Deepti Sharma and Annabel Sutherland sharing three wickets between them in their closing spells to suck whatever momentum was left.

No momentum whatsoever - Perfect way to describe a grim-looking score for the Phoenix. From start to finish, they just couldn't get any sort of momentum. Barring Perry and Lamb, no one managed to get out of single figures. This pitch has had a few tricks up its sleeve for the bowlers, especially with the new ball doing its bit early on. Sure, the third quarter saw the bowlers concede a few more runs than they'd have liked, but credit where it's due, Deepti and Annabel Sutherland pressed on in the death overs and reeled the total back in under 107, which, in all fairness, is not threatening at all.

Lauren Filer is the last batter in for the Phoenix. 3 balls to go.

Okay then, time for the final set of the innings. Lamb is still off the strike. Linsey Smith is in at number 10. Annabel Sutherland will bowl the last five balls. 1/15 in 15 balls so far are her bowling figures.

Sana comes and goes. Alana King is in at number 9.

Last 10 balls to go. Lamb will look to face as many balls as she can. Deepti Sharma is back on. 1/9 in 10 balls so far.

Fatima Sana is in at number 8.

Annabel Sutherland is back for another set of five. 0/13 in 10 balls so far.

Onto the men's game - Well, this one was done and dusted in a hurry. Birmingham Phoenix Women are out of the race and stay rooted at the bottom of the pile, and all that's left now is to regroup and aim for a stronger crack at it next season. Sunrisers Leeds Women, on the other hand, have handed themselves a real shot at finishing in the top three, though there's still plenty of work left to do, starting with a must win final league game against the Super Giants. Now then, action continues in Birmingham as the men take centre stage. The toss will take place in a few minutes' time, and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 5.30 pm GMT (11 pm IST). Our buildup has already begun there. So do switch tabs and follow all the updates from that game.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - PHOEBE LITCHFIELD wins the award for her swashbuckling 71 not out off just 33 balls. Phoebe starts off by saying that the credit goes to the bowlers of her team. Says that they bowled exceptionally well in the first innings, making the most out of the pitch, which made the job of the batters easy. On attacking right away in the second innings, Litchfield says that it's very important to go aggressive in this format of cricket. Adds by saying this attacking style of batting has been the blueprint of the team, which suits her very well. On her record-breaking half-century, she responded by just saying it's a cool thing and smiling, which also shows how humble she is. Ended up saying that they have two games left in the group stage and their total focus is on getting both wins.

... Let's hear it from the Player of the match ...

Done in a canter - Chasing 108 was never going to be a mountain to climb, and all Sunrisers needed was a steady start through the Powerplay. That's exactly what they got, courtesy of Phoebe Litchfield. They did lose Bryony Smith early doors, the lone success Phoenix could point to with the ball. The hosts also made a few costly errors in the field, and their bowling plans never quite fell into sync. In a chase of this size, that kind of slack was never going to be forgiven. Phoebe Litchfield simply went into punishing mode, finding the fence at will and with ease. Birmingham Phoenix, in their entire innings, could only manage 13 fours and not a single six. Litchfield alone matched that boundary count on her own, smashing 13 fours plus a six, all by herself. She got decent support from Lauren Winfield-Hill, who held one end together sensibly, and between the two of them, that was more than enough to get the job done for the visitors.

Grounded before take-off - Momentum never showed up in the Phoenix's innings, and neither did any real fluency. Sunrisers' bowlers strangled this Phoenix line-up from ball one and simply refused to let go, reducing a star-studded batting order to a scratchy 107. Deepti Sharma struck late thrice, Sutherland pulled out her whole bag of tricks, Cross and McCarthy made the new ball talk, and everyone else chipped in to keep the shackles on throughout. Only Perry and Lamb managed to put bat to ball with any real conviction, scoring 31 and 47 respectively, while the rest of the order never got out of first gear.

A walk in the park - No better way to describe this one-sided win for the Sunrisers. They have unleashed an absolute hammering on Perry and Co., and with that, Birmingham Phoenix Women have officially been eliminated from the playoff race. It sets off a bit of a domino effect too, dragging MI London and London Spirit down with them in the process. With this win, Sunrisers give their net run rate a massive lift too, breezing past Welsh Fire to move up into fourth spot, now on 12 points.

Alana King will carry on. Just 3 runs needed from 35 balls.

Final set of the game, then? Sunrisers Leeds Women need 5 runs from 40 balls. Alana King (0/3 in 5 balls) will bowl her second set.

Sunrisers Leeds Women need 15 runs from 45 balls. Alice Capsey (0/7 in 5 balls) returns.

False start from Filer. She loses her run up midway and turns back to reload.

Just 22 needed off 50 balls as the run chase reaches halfway. Lauren Filer (0/16 in 10 balls) is back on.