The Hundred Women 2025: Perry, Kalis And Schutt Shine In Birmingham Phoenix Clinical Win Over Manchester Originals

The Emirates Old Trafford crowd arrived on a breezy evening expecting the Manchester Originals women to consolidate their top-three standing in The Hundred 2025. Instead, they left stunned, having witnessed the home side crumble to a 16-run defeat at the hands of bottom-ranked Birmingham Phoenix.

The loss not only robbed the Originals of a straightforward path to the Eliminator but also exposed deep batting frailties that could derail their campaign. For the Phoenix, led by the ever-resilient Ellyse Perry and inspired by Megan Schutt’s lethal new-ball spell, it was a night of redemption — proof that pride, experience, and execution can still topple tournament heavyweights.

The Context: A Battle at Opposite Ends of the Table

Heading into the fixture, the equation seemed simple.

Manchester Originals: sitting third on the table, needing a win to solidify their Eliminator berth.
Birmingham Phoenix: languishing at the bottom, playing for pride, with their campaign already derailed by earlier defeats.

But The Hundred is rarely straightforward. The Originals, armed with the tournament’s best spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Amelia Kerr, were heavily favored. The Phoenix, though, had nothing to lose — and sometimes, that’s the most dangerous position to play from.

The evening turned into a tale of two collapses: one recovered through Perry’s brilliance, and the other never rescued at all.

Phoenix Innings: From Chaos to Control

Skipper Ellyse Perry’s decision to bat first initially looked questionable. The Originals’ new-ball pair of Mahika Gaur and Ecclestone extracted bounce, swing, and early breakthroughs.

Georgia Voll: Out for a duck, caught at deep square-leg by Kathryn Bryce off Mahika Gaur.
Emma Lamb: Dropped a sitter at cover but was soon caught by Deandra Dottin off Ecclestone.
Amy Jones: Tried to break free but perished cheaply to Dottin’s medium pace.

At 17 for 3, Birmingham were in tatters. The scoreboard reflected more dots than runs, and the Originals’ spinners had locked them into submission.

Enter Ellyse Perry.

The Australian legend has built her career on poise under pressure, and this innings was no exception. She steadied the ship with deliberate singles, targeted the gaps, and waited for the bowlers to err. At the other end, Sterre Kalis, the Dutch international, offered spirited support.

Together, they rewrote the script.

Perry brought up her second consecutive half-century with a muscular six over mid-wicket off Kathryn Bryce, a shot that oozed confidence. Kalis, playing second fiddle, rotated the strike effectively and punished the loose deliveries.

Their partnership — unbroken and unyielding — transformed a sinking innings into a competitive one. By the end of 100 balls, Birmingham had clawed their way to 111 for 3. Not imposing, but defendable.

It was a total that carried weight, not because of its size, but because of the character it represented.

The Originals’ Chase: A Nightmare from the Outset

If Birmingham’s start was shaky, Manchester’s was disastrous.

Chasing a modest 112, the Originals imploded within the powerplay:

Kathryn Bryce: Run out brilliantly by Emma Lamb for 0.
Beth Mooney: Gone for a duck, thanks to a superb running catch by Marie Kelly off Megan Schutt.
Alice Monaghan: Chopped on to Emily Arlott.
Amelia Kerr: Fell cheaply, caught at mid-on by Arlott off Phoebe Brett.

In the blink of an eye, the Originals were 14 for 4. The scoreboard read like a horror show: four wickets gone, four batters back in the dugout, the top order dismantled before the chase even began.

Dottin and Smale: A Flicker of Resistance

Amid the ruins, Deandra Dottin and teenager Seren Smale attempted a rebuild. The veteran and the prodigy played contrasting roles:

Dottin looked to muscle boundaries but perished when she holed out at long-off to Hannah Baker.
Smale dug deep, compiling a gutsy 29 off 34 balls — anchoring, grinding, and resisting the collapse.

But cricket is rarely kind when the foundation is weak. Smale’s dismissal — caught at short fine-leg off Schutt — extinguished whatever faint hope remained.

Megan Schutt: The Difference-Maker

If Perry and Kalis gave Birmingham a total, Megan Schutt ensured it was enough.

The Australian seamer bowled with discipline, precision, and venom, returning 3 for 14. Her early strikes broke Manchester’s top order, and her clever variations denied any late flourish.

Even when Lauren Filer tried to engineer a miracle with a brisk, unbeaten 19 (including three boundaries), Schutt’s dominance had already tilted the game. The Originals were bowled out for 95, 16 runs short of the target.

Tactical Breakdown: Where the Game Was Won and Lost

Phoenix’s Middle-Order Rescue
- Perry’s 50+ and Kalis’s unbeaten 43 formed 85% of Birmingham’s runs.
- Their calculated acceleration in the final 30 balls provided just enough cushion.
Originals’ Top-Order Implosion
- Losing four wickets for 14 runs ended the contest early.
- The dismissals were a mix of poor shot selection and sharp Phoenix fielding.
Schutt’s Leadership with the Ball
- By removing Mooney early and denying boundaries, she controlled the chase.
- Her 3 for 14 was the defining performance of the match.

Player Spotlight

Ellyse Perry: At 34, she continues to be Birmingham’s anchor. This innings was classic Perry — calm, authoritative, match-defining.
Sterre Kalis: Often overshadowed, her 43* was the glue that held the innings. A future Phoenix cornerstone.
Megan Schutt: The match-winner. Three wickets, relentless pressure, and leadership that ignited her side.
Seren Smale: A silver lining for Manchester. Her 29 was mature beyond her years, though it came in a losing cause.

The Aftermath: Implications for the Table

For the Manchester Originals, this loss could prove catastrophic.

They’ve now slipped outside the top three.
Qualification for the Eliminator is no longer in their hands — they’ll rely on other results and need a flawless finish.

For the Birmingham Phoenix, it was a morale-boosting win. Though already out of contention, the victory showcased resilience and provided invaluable experience for their younger players. For veterans like Perry and Schutt, it was also a reminder that pride matters, even when the points don’t.

A Tale of Contrasting Journeys

This game epitomized the unpredictability of The Hundred:

A bottom-ranked team, dismissed by many, rallied around its experienced campaigners to deliver an upset.
A top-three side, seemingly destined for the knockouts, exposed glaring weaknesses under pressure.

For the Originals, the defeat wasn’t just about two points lost — it was about momentum surrendered. For the Phoenix, the win wasn’t about climbing the table — it was about proving they still belonged.

The Blueprints of Victory and Defeat

At Old Trafford, cricket served up one of its simplest yet cruelest lessons: class and composure outweigh reputation and expectation. Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt embodied both, scripting Birmingham Phoenix’s most spirited performance of the season.

For Manchester Originals, the road ahead is now uncertain. They must regroup quickly, rebuild confidence, and hope this defeat doesn’t spiral into a missed campaign.

As The Hundred heads toward its decisive final stages, one truth lingers from this contest: no side is too weak to spring a surprise, and no favorite is safe when the basics of cricket — partnerships, discipline, execution — are mastered by the opposition.

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