Phoebe Litchfield stars as Northern Superchargers sweep past Birmingham Phoenix

The Australian left-hander smashed an unbeaten 59 as the hosts chased down 116 for 6 with ease to make it three wins out of four matches

ECB Media | 15/08/2025 at 17:42

Headingley: Birmingham Phoenix 116-6, Northern Superchargers 117-2 - Northern Superchargers won by eight wickets

Northern Superchargers soared to the top of the Women's Hundred with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.

A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage's team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix's flow.

Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44 for 1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, the Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry's farcical run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker's end – summing up the Phoenix's misfortune.

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^{Birmingham Phoenix now have just one win in four matches (ECB Media)}

From 59 for 6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of The Women's Hundred.

On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.

The Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year's tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.

With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker. Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as the Superchargers' overseas stars wrapped things up with a whopping 26 balls to spare.