Matt Short marked his return from injury with an unbeaten 60, guiding Welsh Fire to a six-wicket win over Southern Brave in the 19th match of The Hundred Men’s Competition at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
The victory kept Fire within touching distance of table-toppers Trent Rockets and handed them a second win over Southern Brave this season.
Brave collapse early against disciplined Fire attack
Welsh Fire chose to bowl first, and their seamers made the most of a lively surface. Chris Woakes and Sam Cook struck inside the first seven balls, reducing Southern Brave to 2 for 2 as Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney both edged behind to wicketkeeper Phil Salt.
Nikhil Chaudhary fell soon after, caught off Cook, leaving the Brave at a sluggish 45 for 3 at the halfway mark. Rachin Ravindra struck twice in consecutive balls, removing Tristan Stubbs and Moeen Ali, the latter caught by Joe Root off a leading edge. Marcus Stoinis tried to rebuild the innings and reached a 35-ball half-century, his highest score of the competition so far, before Cook returned to end his stay, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 14.
David Miller added a couple of late sixes, and Jofra Archer smashed a first-ball boundary before falling next delivery. Southern Brave were bowled out for 115 for 8, their lowest total in the history of the tournament.
Short and Root steady the chase before late flourish
Chasing 116, Welsh Fire lost Salt cheaply to Archer’s opening delivery, but Short and Root settled the innings with a calm, calculated approach. The pair added runs steadily, taking the score to 60 before Root was dismissed, caught by McKinney off Chris Jordan. Short brought up his fifty off just 37 balls, using the scoop and the ramp shot effectively against the pace bowlers.
Wickets fell around him as Ravindra and Jordan Cox both departed cheaply, but Tom Kohler-Cadmore joined Short to close out the chase without further alarm. Short finished unbeaten on 60 from 41 deliveries, striking six fours and two sixes, and was named Player of the Match for his all-round effort with bat and ball.
Fire close in on Rockets at top of standings
The win moved Welsh Fire to four victories from five matches, keeping pressure on Trent Rockets at the summit of the points table. Speaking after the match, Short described the pitch as tricky early on. “It was tough early and it was a pretty spicy wicket with some quick bowlers,” he said. “It was nice to bat second and get a bit of dew and skid off the wicket.
They came hard with a Test-match length but the shine wears off and it gets a bit easier. When we bowled, our guys hit the right length and let the ball do the talking.” Short had missed Fire’s previous match against Birmingham Phoenix with a niggle, and his return added both stability at the top of the order and control with the ball, where he claimed 2 for 13 in a brief spell.
Southern Brave, meanwhile, slip further down the standings after their heaviest defeat of the season, with their batting struggles against quality seam bowling now a growing concern heading into the business end of the competition.
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