The Hundred 2024: Birmingham Phoenix beat Welsh Fire by nine runs

Welsh Fire missed an opportunity to qualify for the play-offs of the women’s competition The Hundred as Birmingham Phoenix won a thrilling match at Sophia Gardens.

Fire were favourites and needed 16 wickets from the last 10 balls with Hayley Matthews at the crease, but Katie Levick’s two wickets in two balls swung the match in Phoenix’s favour and they won by nine runs.

Georgia Elwiss was lost for 10 and Matthews was caught for 35 before Emily Arlott took two more wickets in a disastrous defeat that saw the home side lose four wickets for four runs.

Earlier, Phoenix’ 121-7 was set up by Sterre Kalis’ 55, while Matthews’ 3-32 and Freya Davies’ 2-17 produced a disciplined Fire bowling performance.

Fire’s chase had its ups and downs, with Sophia Dunkley and Matthews leading the charge to recover from Tammy Beaumont’s early departure for 12, before all-rounder Ellyse Perry took two wickets in two balls – Dunkley for 18 and Sarah Bryce off the first ball – to stall the home side’s progress.

Matthews and Jess Jonassen, with 28 runs, looked set to secure Fire’s qualification, but Phoenix’s bowlers fought back, backed by impressive discipline in the field.

Victory in Cardiff would have given Fire a top three finish, but struggling Phoenix kept their slim qualification hopes alive. They need to win their remaining two games comfortably to improve their net run rate and hope for other results to go their way.