Sunrisers Leeds reach Lord's after Wong's double strike falls short
Sunrisers Leeds beat Southern Brave by five wickets in The Hundred women's Eliminator at The Kia Oval, booking a place in Sunday's final against Trent Rockets at Lord's.
Chasing 115 to win — in The Hundred, each side faces 100 balls — Sunrisers reached 116-5 with 11 deliveries to spare when Jess Jonassen struck the winning boundary off Lauren Bell (BBC Sport).
Southern Brave had posted 114-7 from their 100 balls, an innings built on scattered contributions rather than one dominant hand. Lizelle Lee top-scored with 32 off 25, including the only six of the match. Charli Knott made 25 off 21, captain Sophie Molineux added an unbeaten 22 off 24, and Maia Bouchier chipped in 15. Laura Wolvaardt fell for eight. Brave faced 41 dot balls — deliveries from which no run was scored — and managed 13 boundaries across the innings.
The chase seemed straightforward until Issy Wong intervened. The Southern Brave bowler removed Lauren Winfield-Hill, who had made 37 off 37, and then trapped Sunrisers captain Dani Gibson lbw first ball — two wickets in two deliveries. Wong finished with 3-21, and for a moment Brave had a path back into the match.
Deepti Sharma steadied things. Her unbeaten 28 absorbed the pressure Wong had created, and Jonassen's finishing blow ensured Sunrisers crossed the line with room to spare. Bell took 1-14 for Brave in a losing effort.
For Sunrisers Leeds, the reward is a final against Trent Rockets at Lord's on Sunday. For Southern Brave, Wong's late burst will be the moment that nearly turned it.
What makes this stand out is how close Wong brought Brave. Two wickets in two balls is a rare feat in any format — the double strike halved Sunrisers' required rate equation in the space of three deliveries. That Sunrisers still won with 11 balls left says plenty about the calm heads of Sharma and Jonassen, who refused to let the collapse spread.
The match was played at The Kia Oval on 14 August 2026, with a scheduled 2.15pm BST start (ECB).
