Southern Brave maintained their dominance in the tournament by defeating Birmingham Phoenix by 24 runs at Utilita Bowl, Southampton. The victory, their fourth in a row, solidified their position at the top of the points table with 16 points. The winless Phoenix remain at the bottom with no points from four matches. Openers Set Foundation The Brave innings was anchored by a blistering start from Lizelle Lee and Maia Bouchier. Lee, the South African all-rounder, smashed 43 runs off just 28 balls, including two sixes and seven boundaries. Bouchier followed suit with an explosive 45 off 31 deliveries, hitting eight fours during a 68-run opening partnership. The duo's aggressive approach set the tone for the innings. Strategic Timeout Woes While Jemimah Rodrigues added 20 runs in the final five balls to take the score to 140/3, the real turning point came during the Phoenix chase. After a strong start with Tammy Beaumont (22) and Davina Perrin's 50 off 40 balls, the visitors lost momentum at the strategic timeout. At 73/2 after 44 balls, the equation of 54 runs from 30 deliveries proved too much to handle. Fielding Mastership Decides Alice Capsey's mistimed shot off Lauren Bell and Perrin's uncharacteristic mistake off Sarah Glenn's leg-break triggered the collapse. Brave captain Sophie Molineux then took two quick wickets, including Perrin's dismissal, to derail the chase. Ellyse Perry's late boundaries couldn't prevent the 24-run deficit. Match Statistics Southern Brave: 140/3 (100 balls) - Lizelle Lee 43, Maia Bouchier 45, Jemimah Rodrigues 28*
Birmingham Phoenix: 116/5 (100 balls) - Davina Perrin 52, Tammy Beaumont 22; Sophie Molineux 2-24
Result: Southern Brave win by 24 runs