Match 4 · The Hundred Women’s 2026 · Edgbaston
Birmingham Phoenix Women vs Trent Rockets Women
Weather and pitch report — Birmingham Phoenix Women host Trent Rockets Women on 24 July 2026. Here’s what the conditions at Edgbaston mean for both sides.
Quick answer: A warm, dry afternoon at Edgbaston — around 26°C, feeling closer to 28°C in the humidity, with a light northwesterly near 13 km/h and only about a 10% chance of rain. The pitch offers early seam movement, true bounce through the middle, and more spin late on, with first-innings totals usually landing between 105 and 120.
01 Match snapshot
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Birmingham Phoenix Women vs Trent Rockets Women, Match 4 |
| Tournament | The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026 |
| Venue | Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, England |
| Date | Friday, 24 July 2026 |
| Start time | 3:00 PM UK / 7:00 PM PKT / 7:30 PM IST (2:00 PM UTC) |
| Format | 100 balls per side, afternoon fixture |
| Weather | Around 26°C, feels like 28°C, 10% rain, light NW wind |
| Pitch | Balanced — early seam, true bounce, late spin |
| Par first innings | 105–120 runs |
| Head-to-head | 4 wins each from 8 meetings, no ties |
| Broadcast | Star Sports Network (India); geo-restricted elsewhere |
02 Why this match matters
This fixture opens the 2026 campaign for both sides, and the timing adds edge. Birmingham Phoenix Women finished seventh last edition and have won only one of their last five completed matches — a strong home start would rebuild momentum quickly.
Trent Rockets Women arrive in better form, winning three of their last five and narrowly missing the playoffs last season. Nat Sciver-Brunt was their leading run-scorer last edition with 256 runs, while Kirstie Gordon topped the wicket column with 11.
Despite the form gap, the head-to-head is dead level — four wins apiece from eight meetings, no ties or no-results. Recent contests have been tight: Rockets won the last meeting in 2025 by three wickets with three balls left, after Phoenix had earlier taken an 11-run win.
Phoenix lean on captain Ellyse Perry alongside Tammy Beaumont, Alice Capsey and Emma Lamb, with Alana King and Phoebe Brett anchoring the bowling. Rockets counter with captain Ashleigh Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Beth Mooney for runs, plus Kim Garth and Katie Levick for control.
03 Weather forecast
What’s the weather at Edgbaston today?
Conditions look settled. Temperatures should sit around 26°C through the afternoon, feeling closer to 28°C once summer humidity is factored in. Winds are forecast from the northwest at roughly 13 km/h — noticeable, but not enough to meaningfully affect shot-making or bowling lines.
Rain risk is about 10%, which is close to as low as English outdoor forecasts get in late July. For anyone asking whether rain will interrupt play, the short answer is: unlikely.
| Factor | This afternoon |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Around 26°C |
| Feels like | Around 28°C with humidity |
| Rain chance | 10% — full match expected |
| Wind | Light northwesterly, near 13 km/h |
| Dew | Minimal — afternoon start avoids it |
Is it going to rain during today’s Hundred Women’s match? Unlikely — the forecast shows roughly a 10% rain chance, pointing to a full, uninterrupted contest at Edgbaston.
04 Edgbaston pitch report
What kind of surface is Edgbaston?
Edgbaston has a long-standing reputation for a genuinely balanced surface, and that holds in The Hundred Women’s Competition. The pitch typically moves through three phases:
- Opening phase: seamers get real assistance — standard English conditions bring enough pace and lateral movement to trouble batters before they’ve settled.
- Middle phase: once the shine wears off, the surface hardens and offers true, even bounce, ideal for strokeplay from set batters.
- Late innings: as the pitch slows, spinners find grip and control the rate just as batters are trying to accelerate.
That early-seam, middle-batting, late-spin pattern is why totals in the 105–120 range are the realistic par score here rather than an outlier.
Toss trends
Because the surface wears as the game goes on, sides winning the toss often lean toward batting first — setting a total before conditions slow, and applying early scoreboard pressure. That said, the Edgbaston outfield stays quick throughout, so a chasing side with middle-order depth can stay in it as long as the required rate doesn’t run away.
05 Edgbaston vs a typical subcontinent venue
Context helps. Here’s how Edgbaston compares with a typical evening short-format match on the subcontinent, where humidity and dew play a much bigger role.
| Factor | Edgbaston | Subcontinent |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Around 26°C | Often 28–33°C |
| Rain risk | 10% | 15–40% in monsoon windows |
| Dew | Minimal | Often significant under lights |
| Pitch pace | Genuine early seam movement | Often flatter, less seam-friendly |
| Spin threat | Increases late as pitch slows | Often present from the start |
| Par total | 105–120 | Frequently higher |
This is a large part of why English venues like Edgbaston tend to produce slightly lower totals in women’s short-format cricket than many subcontinent grounds — the surface simply asks more of the batter early on.
06 What this means for both teams
For Birmingham Phoenix Women, home conditions should suit their attack — particularly Alana King’s variations and Phoebe Brett’s new-ball control in the early seam-friendly window. With Ellyse Perry and Alice Capsey anchoring the top order, Phoenix have the class to post a competitive total if they navigate the opening phase.
For Trent Rockets Women, the slightly seam-friendly surface favours Kim Garth and Katie Levick, while Nat Sciver-Brunt’s scoring record makes her the key early wicket for Phoenix to chase. Ashleigh Gardner’s all-round record gives Rockets balance suited to exactly these conditions.
Given the level head-to-head, this looks like a match decided less by the toss and more by which side executes better in the opening phase, when Edgbaston offers its sharpest assistance to bowlers.
07 Key takeaways
- Warm and dry — around 26°C with roughly a 10% chance of rain
- The pitch offers early seam movement, true bounce mid-innings and more spin late
- Par first-innings totals here sit between 105 and 120
- Head-to-head is dead level: four wins apiece from eight meetings
- Both squads carry multiple internationals across bat and ball
- Minimal rain and dew risk point to a full 100-ball match
08 Frequently asked questions
Pleasant and dry — around 26°C, feeling closer to 28°C in the humidity, with a light northwesterly and about a 10% chance of rain.
Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, England, as part of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026.
It’s balanced. Seamers get early help with the new ball, batters find true bounce through the middle, and spinners gain grip as the pitch slows late on.
Usually between 105 and 120 runs, based on how matches at this venue have played out in the competition.
Unlikely. The forecast shows about a 10% chance of rain, pointing to a full, uninterrupted match.
2:00 PM UTC on Friday, 24 July 2026 — that’s 3:00 PM in the UK, 7:00 PM in Pakistan and 7:30 PM in India.
Evenly matched — four wins each from eight meetings, with no ties or no-results.
Viewers in India can watch on the Star Sports Network. Availability elsewhere depends on regional broadcast and streaming rights.
About this report
Compiled from match-day forecasts, venue statistics from The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026, and historical scoring trends at Edgbaston. For informational use by fans, fantasy players and analysts — not betting advice.
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