London Spirit Women vs Sunrisers Leeds Women Match 20 Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of London Spirit, who form a huddle and take their places on the field. It will be Phoebe Litchfield, and not Jess Jonassen, to open the innings for the Sunrisers alongside Bryony Smith. Marizanne Kapp will get proceedings underway with the ball. Let's play...

... The Run Chase ...

Momentum with the reigning champs - It hasn't been a fruitful season for Sunrisers Leeds, but they will think that the way they pulled things back in the first innings will give them the confidence to do well with the bat. Hannah Baker was the standout with a couple of big wickets and she proved to be miserly as well. Annabel Sutherland was excellent at the death as usual and Deepti Sharma, who was brought on late in the fray, also helped the Sunrisers' cause. Right then, 137 isn't a big score to chase given the nature of the wicket, but Sunrisers Leeds have their issues with the bat. Can London Spirit do early damage and make the Sunrisers sweat? Let's find out, as the run chase is up next.

Let's hear from Sunrisers' leggie - Hannah Baker says she really enjoyed picking up two wickets right after the break. When asked whether the break brought about a chat in the camp, she notes that the bowling group discussed different plans for different batters during the stoppage, and those plans came off exactly as intended. Breaking down her wickets, Baker explains that she knew Harris was likely to swing the bat, so she set a trap accordingly. Against Kelly, she details that the plan was simpler, keeping the stumps in play and letting the batter make a mistake. On the comeback after a tough opening, she says the side has gelled well together, pointing out that Sunrisers clawed their way back strongly after the first 50 balls. She remains confident about the chase, adding that it's very much doable and that the team hopes to run the total down.

A tale of two halves - London Spirit Women did boss the first 50 balls of the first innings. Grace Harris was relentless and struck a quick half-century, and she was well supported by Amy Jones. However, just when everything was going fine for the Spirit, the rain came in and we had a bit of a delay. When play resumed, Spirit's batting was a stark contrast from the first 50 balls. Once Harris fell, no one could really step up. Marizanne Kapp made a-run-a-ball 18 and Deandra Dottin scored 15 runs, but they will feel that they are a bit under-par here.

Honors even at the break? London Spirit have huffed and puffed their way to 136/7 at the end of their 100 balls, and they will feel they have left about 20 runs out there given how well they began. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Leeds will be grateful for the rain break, which allowed them to regather, and they stepped up their game once play resumed.

Annabel Sutherland to close out the innings? Yes!

This is turning into a mess for the Spirit. Charis Pavely walks in at number 9.

Double play from Deepti. She whips off the bails at her end but realizes that Deandra Dottin is in and throws it to the keeper. Lauren Winfield-Hill also whips off the bails, but George has also made her ground at the keeper's end.

Katie George is in next.

Is that a run out? Too close to call and the third umpire is called in. Replays show that Dean has her bat right on the line, and no part of it is over the line. OUT comes up on the big screen.

Last 10 balls remaining in the first innings. Deepti Sharma is back on for her final set.

A freefall for the Spirit after the break. 91/1 becomes 120/5. Excellent use of variations by Sutherland. Charlie Dean walks in at number 7.

Last 15 balls left. The Spirit need to get a move on now to get anywere near 150. Annabel Sutherland (0/20 in 10 balls) returns to bowl her third set of five.

Onto the men's game - That wraps things up on this one. Time now for the men of both sides to take over at Headingley. Much like their female counterparts, the men's teams find themselves in similar trouble, stuck in the bottom half of the table, and whoever comes out on top tonight keeps their survival hopes very much alive. The latest report from the ground is that the London Spirit have won the toss and have opted to BOWL first. Because this match ran late thanks to the rain delay, the men's game will now have a later start than originally scheduled. You can switch the tabs to catch all the updates from that match. But from here, we sign off. Hope you enjoyed the coverage. Cheers!

A nosedive, then a rise again - However, the visitors refused to fold and hit back hard, with Dean accounting for Litchfield to spark the turnaround. Sunrisers suddenly found themselves tumbling from a comfortable 57/0 to 59/3, and the rebuild had to start from scratch. Annabel Sutherland led that fightback with the bat, while Gibson found the going tough at the crease, still searching for timing against a surface that was turning and skidding through. Their 48 run stand, though, was enough to swing things back in Sunrisers' favour. A couple more strikes from Spirit brought the game level again, before Sutherland and Jonassen's ice-cool cameo at the death saw the hosts home. To her credit, left-arm quick Katie George proved her worth with an impressive three-wicket haul, and was proactive in the field to boot. But in the end, Spirit fell just a few runs short.

A bright start with a bit of fortune - The Sunrisers rode their luck early, and Spirit handed them plenty of it. Bryony Smith survived not one but two chances in the opening sets, and once she'd been let off, she and Phoebe Litchfield, pushed up to open the batting, made the most of every gift on offer. Spirit's attack spent the phase searching for their lines and lengths without much luck, and the cost showed on the scoreboard. Kapp was the closest to breaking through, unlucky not to have a wicket or two already against her name from chances that simply didn't stick.

Rain check on Spirit - It was a tale of two very different halves. London Spirit came flying out of the blocks, timing the ball beautifully and finding the fence whenever they pleased. Grace Harris led the charge, smashing a quickfire half-century to have Spirit purring along at 91/1 at the halfway mark. Then the rain arrived, and so did the collapse. Once play resumed, wickets started tumbling almost as fast as the raindrops had. Deepti Sharma, the young Hannah Baker and Annabel Sutherland were outstanding with the ball through the back end, mixing their variations to perfection and cashing in at crucial times. Beyond that opening stand, the Spirit simply couldn't string another partnership together, though Dottin and Kapp's short cameos hauled them to 136. But given the way they started, they looked destined to get past 150, which they couldn't.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Annabel Sutherland gets the accolade for her match-winning knock of 37 not out in 21 balls. She also picked up one wicket in her bowling spell of 1/31. Sutherland says that it is a very satisfying win and they just haven't quite over the line in the last few games. Lauds Jess Jonassen for her clarity and nerves of steel at the death. Adds that it is all about adapting well and mentions that you want to be part of wins, and hopefully they can get on a run from here.

Rose high under pressure - Not the most clinical wins from the Sunrisers, but they will feel mighty relaxed to have gotten the job done in the end. And it's Annabel Sutherland who kept herself composed under pressure to stay till the end. Credit to Jess Jonassen as well, who came in at a delicate time, stayed ice-cold and dragged the game away from the Spirit with a couple of remarkable shots. With this win, the Sunrisers not only snap their three-match losing streak, but also leapfrog all the way to the fourth spot in the standings, getting to 8 points. For the Spirit, the climb only gets steeper from here, as this is their third defeat of the season, and they have just one win to show, with just three games to spare.

Charlie Dean walks up to her bowler to have a chat before going back to her position.

Ice-cold from Jonassen under pressure. Right then, time for the final set of five of the game. The Sunrisers need 6 runs from 5 balls, in touching distance of a home win. And problems arise for the Spirit as they have been penalised for not bowling their sets in time. Meaning, an extra fielder will have to be stationed inside the ring. Nadine De Klerk (1/19 in 15 balls) will wrap it up. Is there any drama left in the game? Let's find out...

That looked like a simple catch from Grace, but under such pressure situations, that can become a lot more difficult. This is still anyone's game now. 14 needed off 8 balls with Sutherland stranded at one end. Jess Jonassen is in at number 7.

Who will bowl the crucial penultimate set? It will be Katie George. 16 runs and 2 wickets so far off her 15 balls.

Charlie Dean is back on for her final set. Can the skipper make a big difference here?

Righto, last 20 balls left. Sunrisers Leeds Women need 29 runs from those. Not a hefty ask with the likes of well-settled Sutherland and vastly experienced Deepti Sharma out there. And surprise, surprise. Grace Harris has been brought into the attack. She is well-known to make big impacts with her short spells. And now is the time to do so. But can she?