Ellyse Perry steers Birmingham Phoenix past MI London to dodge the wooden spoon
Ellyse Perry scored an unbeaten 62 off 39 balls to guide Birmingham Phoenix to a five-wicket win over MI London in The Hundred, a result that lifted Phoenix off the bottom of the table and sent MI London crashing into last place instead. BBC Sport
The match, played at Edgbaston, was Phoenix's first victory of The Hundred 2026 campaign. The Hundred A season that had offered little to cheer finally produced a performance worthy of the occasion.
For the uninitiated, The Hundred is cricket's newest format — each innings lasts exactly 100 balls, bowled in sets of five rather than the traditional six, with the aim of packing a match into roughly two and a half hours. A five-wicket win means Phoenix chased down their target with five wickets to spare, comfortable enough in the end.
Perry, retained by Phoenix for the 2026 season, has been the franchise's marquee name and its most reliable hand. ECB An unbeaten 62 from 39 deliveries is an innings of genuine class in any format — a strike rate of nearly 159 runs per 100 balls means she was scoring close to two runs every other delivery, pacing the chase with the calm of someone who has been doing this at the highest level for over a decade.
That Perry, an Australian all-rounder who has represented her country in both cricket and football, delivered when the stakes were simplest and starkest — avoid last place — will surprise no one who has followed her career. What mattered here was not the scale of the occasion but that Phoenix had something to play for and their best player stood up.
Phoenix's squad for 2026 also features direct signings Alice Capsey, Lauren Filer and Lucy Hamilton, all brought in to strengthen a side that had struggled to find any rhythm. ECB Capsey, a versatile batter and handy off-spinner, and Filer, a pace bowler who has broken into the England setup, gave Phoenix options that finally translated into a result.
For MI London, the consequences are blunt. A loss that could have been absorbed elsewhere instead dropped them to the foot of the table, replacing Phoenix there. In a tournament where every position carries prize money and prestige, finishing last is the one outcome every franchise spends the season trying to avoid.
One win will not reshape a difficult season for Phoenix, but it gives their home crowd at Edgbaston a memory worth keeping — and a reminder of why Perry, at 35, remains one of the most dependable match-winners in the women's game.
