Burns leads ways as Aussies dominate in Hundred

Australian allrounder Erin Burns has played a key innings to help Birmingham Phoenix edge out Trent Rockets and keep alive their outside hopes of qualifying for the final stages of The Hundred.

Burns hammered 38 from 26 balls and shared in a decisive 48-run stand with Emily Arlott, who struck an unbeaten 22 from 14, as Phoenix recovered from 6-71 to pip Rockets by three wickets with six balls to spare on Friday.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon took 3- 26 to make it 12 wickets in the tournament as Rockets totalled 7-125, with another Australian Heather Graham (26) and Abbey Freeborn (30) adding 54 in 39 balls for the fifth wicket.

But despite Sammy-Jo Johnson taking 3-22 to increase her tournament wickets tally to 15, the total was not enough to deny the visitors at Trent Bridge.

The result means the Rockets remain one of three teams on seven points with a home match against Manchester Originals to come, while Phoenix, on six points, travel to Northern Superchargers on Thursday.

Second and third in the final table will meet to decide who meets Southern Brave, who are already through to the Lord's final.

Rachel Priest and Johnson gave the Rockets innings a strong start with 34 from 20 balls, both hitting sixes, but the innings lost some momentum as Johnson was lbw trying to reverse sweep Burns.

As they chased, Birmingham's star opener, Shafali Verma, reached 16 from nine balls before being caught at deep midwicket, again off the bowling of her regular tormentor, England's Katherine Brunt.

With the Phoenix innings stagnating, Burns and Arlott turned things round.

Burns couldn't quite finish the job as she swept the 88th ball straight to deep backward square but she smashed six boundaries in her crucial knock.

Arlott, who survived a tough caught and bowled chance to Johnson, then kept her cool to win the match with back-to-back boundaries.