Southern Brave secured their third victory in four matches of The Hundred by convincingly defeating Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens.
James Vince showcased his batting prowess, scoring an impressive 73 runs off 50 balls, setting a challenging target of 140 for the home team. Despite the favorable conditions, Welsh Fire struggled to make an impact in their response, leaving Southern Brave at the top of the table in the men’s competition.
Welsh Fire won the toss and chose to field first, but the Southern Brave batters excelled in partnerships, with notable contributions from Alex Davies, Leus du Plooy, and Kieron Pollard supporting Vince’s stellar innings, which featured seven fours and three sixes. A thrilling cameo from Chris Jordan in the final over included a massive 98-meter six, although he was dismissed on the last ball by David Payne.
Haris Rauf (2-22) and Matt Henry (1-20) emerged as the standout bowlers for Welsh Fire, who hoped for a strong chase under the lights. However, the chase faltered as Luke Wells and Jonny Bairstow faced early challenges from opening bowlers Akeal Hosein and Craig Overton, managing just 29 runs from the first 30 balls due to significant swing.
Both openers fell quickly, and Southern Brave seized control with Tymal Mills (4-16), Danny Briggs (3-14), and Chris Jordan (2-19) dismantling the Welsh Fire batting order to secure a comfortable victory.
James Vince was named Player of the Match and reflected on the win, stating, “It was nice to get the win. Batting first was tricky, but we did a good job. Our bowlers performed excellently throughout, especially at the start, which proved to be quite challenging for the opposition.”
Looking ahead, The Hundred continues with four matches scheduled for Tuesday. The day will kick off with the Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles women facing off at 11:30 AM, followed by the men’s teams at 3 PM. The Birmingham Phoenix and Northern Superchargers women will compete at 3 PM, with their male counterparts taking the field at 6:30 PM.
