Kapp's all-round showing caps win over struggling Phoenix

In a clash between two sides already eliminated from playoff contention, it was London Spirit who took the honors at Lord’s, comfortably defeating Birmingham Phoenix by 32 runs. The star of the show was none other than South Africa’s legendary allrounder Marizanne Kapp, who dominated with both bat and ball in Spirit’s final home fixture of the season. Kapp Turns Up the Heat Late On Having chosen to bat first, London Spirit got off to a sluggish start. Grace Harris departed early, leaving Spirit struggling to build momentum. Amy Jones provided a spark with a fluent 39 off 30 balls, but Birmingham Phoenix’s attack—led by Australian leg-spinner Alana King (2 for 18)—kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. At 75 for 3 after 68 balls, Phoenix looked well in control. Enter Marizanne Kapp. Exercising trademark composure before unleashing absolute carnage late in the innings, Kapp transformed the momentum entirely. She cleared the boundary six times in her unbeaten 57, including a sensational streak of four consecutive sixes off Alice Capsey. Supported by compatriot Nadine de Klerk, who chipped in with late fireworks off Lauren Filer, Spirit plundered 37 runs off the final 10 deliveries to post a formidable total of 140 for 4. Early Strikes and Spin Magic Seal the Win Defending 140, Kapp immediately made her presence felt with the ball. She cleaned up Jemima Spence during a ferocious opening salvo, conceding just 10 runs off her first 15 deliveries to drain the early momentum from Phoenix's chase. Spirit skipper Charlie Dean then put on a spin bowling clinic of her own. Dean tore through Phoenix's star-studded top order, removing Davina Perrin and dangerous Australian hitter Ellyse Perry—the latter falling to a spectacular midwicket boundary catch by Katie George. Though Emma Lamb fought a lone battle with a spirited 36 off 26 balls, Phoenix continually hemorrhaged wickets. When Dean returned to dismiss Tammy Beaumont—finishing with brilliant figures of 3 for 17—any lingering hopes of an unlikely comeback vanished. Birmingham Phoenix eventually stumbled to 108 for 8, capping off a deeply frustrating campaign. Post-Match Reaction Named the Match Hero for her defining all-round display, Marizanne Kapp reflected on the victory and Spirit’s season at Lord’s: "The atmosphere is so special here. There's something about this ground and I've been blessed to play here for the last couple of years. To be honest, we haven't batted as well as we would have liked. Lord's is probably the trickiest wicket to bat on in England and I feel like we were a little slow to learn and adjust to conditions. Today was probably the first time that we batted first and really worked out the conditions." Match Summary London Spirit: 140 for 4 off 100 balls (Marizanne Kapp 57, Amy Jones 39; Alana King 2-18)* Birmingham Phoenix: 108 for 8 off 100 balls (Emma Lamb 36; Charlie Dean 3-17, Marizanne Kapp 1-10) Result: London Spirit won by 32 runs