Hilton Cartwright played the best innings of the match as his unbeaten 51 off 19 balls took Southern Brave to a competitive 129/8 in 100 balls on a difficult track where rest of the batting around him failed. Hilton Cartwright looked like a man wanting to prove a point as he had a quiet tournament till this game. His individual effort held off a disciplined bowling effort from Welsh Fire to score close to 130.
While defending the score, Southern Brave rode on an exceptional bowling performance led by Jofra Archer who picked up 3/20 in 20 balls and was ably supported by Craig Overton and James Coles both picking up 2 wickets each while Chris Jordan picked up one but bowled a crucial final set as the Brave held their nerve at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff to get two important points while Welsh Fire stay rooted to the bottom of the points table.
Hilton Cartwright’s Fiery Unbeaten 51 Propels Southern Brave to 129/8.Â
Put into bat first, captain James Vince and Leus du Plooy came out to bat for Southern Brave while David Payne had ball in hand for Welsh Fire. Payne started with a miserly opening set and bowled the next set back-to-back. There also, he gave away just 4 runs. Matt Henry was next introduced into the attack. He got the first breakthrough getting rid of du Plooy for 2 off 6 balls. Henry dropped it short and the ball got big on him, du Plooy gave the charge and slashed at it as the ball went to Steve Smith at mid-off for an easy catch. Jason Roy walked out to bat next.
Henry bowled another set as he too bowled back-to-back sets as he bowled a maiden as well. Ajeet Dale came into the attack to bowl the final set of powerplay and finally, Vince broke the shackles getting a boundary away to backward square leg. Jason Roy managed to get his first boundary under streaky circumstances. After 25 balls of powerplay, Southern Brave were 18/1.
Matt Henry changed ends and got rid of Jason Roy for 4 off 12 balls. Henry bowled it fuller slanting into the pads there to be hit. Roy went after it and hit it straight to the man at short midwicket. James Coles came out to bat next and got off the mark. Coles took Dale on as he hit him for consecutive boundaries. Henry then completed his wonderful spell of 2/5 in 20 balls. Paul Walter came into the attack and was hit for a boundary by Coles. But Walter hit back getting rid of Coles for 14 off 10 balls with 3 boundaries to his name.
Walter bowled a pace-off delivery hurled outside off on a full length, Coles wanted to slam it to the straight boundary but ended up getting more height than distance. Smith at mid-off did well to settle underneath it and complete the catch. Laurie Evans came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary. Vince managed to hit a crisp boundary off Walter. After 50 balls at the halfway stage of the innings, Southern Brave were 53/3.
Chris Green came into the attack and bowled a miserly set. Green bowled another set back-to-back and Vince managed to get a boundary to his name. Dale came back and got rid off Evans for 8 off 9 balls with a boundary to his name. Dale bowled a back of a length delivery angling into the batter, Evans swivelled around and pulled at it but managed to get some part of the gloves on it as Bairstow behind the stumps took a regulation catch. Michael Bracewell came out to bat and got off the mark as well.
Bracewell made his intentions clear as he launched Walter over deep fine leg for the maximum. Chris Green got into the wickets column getting rid of James Vince for 29 off 26 balls with 3 boundaries to his name. Green dropped the ball short and on the stumps, Vince cleared his front leg and looked to pummel it over deep midwicket but he mistimed the ball straight to Zaib in the deep who made no mistake and took the catch safely. Hilton Cartwright came out to bat next.
Cartwright made his intentions clear as he hit a boundary over the bowler’s head and launched a maximum as well down the ground. Then Green dropped a tough chance of his own bowling in the follow-through as Cartwright got a reprieve. After 75 balls, Southern Brave were 81/5. Cartwright next targeted Dale hitting him for a boundary and a few balls later launched him down the ground for the maximum. Payne came back into the attack and got rid of Michael Bracewell for 8 off 12 balls with a boundary to his name.
Payne bowled a back of a length delivery shaping away outside off-stump. Bracewell jumped out of his crease and swung hard at it, but got the thick outside edge straight into the gloves of the wicket-keeper. Chris Jordan came to the crease next and got off the mark while Cartwright smashed Payne for the maximum over backward square leg to bring up the 100 for Southern Brave in 84 balls.
Cartwright next took on Walter and deposited him over deep midwicket for the maximum. Payne got his second wicket getting rid of Chris Jordan for 2 off 3 balls. Payne bowled from around the wicket fuller delivery around off, Jordan swung at it and lost one hand off the bat. The ball went high up in the sky as Walter at long-on took the catch on the second attempt. Craig Overton came out to bat next. Cartwright carried on his merry ways smashing Payne over deep fine leg for the maximum.
Chris Green came to bowl the final set off the innings and got rid of Craig Overton for 1 off 2 balls. Green flighted it full on the stumps, Overton shimmied down the track and mistimed the strike to Walter at long-off. Jofra Archer came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway. Cartwright got to his maiden fifty in The Hundred in 19 balls as Southern Brave finished with 129/8 in 100 balls. His innings consisted off 2 fours and 5 sixes. Archer remained on 1* off 1. 9 extras given by the fielding side.
All the bowlers of Welsh Fire bowled well under helpful conditions. Matt Henry was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/5 in 20 balls. He was ably supported by David Payne his new ball partner with his 2/25 in 20 balls. Chris Green bowled well for his 2/24 in 20 balls. Ajeet Dale got a wicket in his 1/34 in 20 balls while Paul Walter finished with 1/36 in 20 balls. This meant that Welsh Fire needed 130 runs off 100 balls to get only their second win this season.
Jofra Archer’s 3-wicket haul enables Southern Brave to edge out a thriller.Â
Chasing 130 for an important win, Jonny Bairstow and Steve Smith came out to bat for Welsh Fire while Craig Overton had ball in hand for Southern Brave. Bairstow took the attack to Overton hitting him for consecutive boundaries and then launched Overton for the maximum over deep backward square leg. Reece Topley was given the ball from the other end and Bairstow welcomed him with a boundary and then hit another boundary off the same bowler straight down the ground.
Overton had the last laugh as he got rid of Jonny Bairstow for 22 off 10 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name. Overton bowled a fuller length delivery just outside off-stump. Bairstow spread his front leg and whacked across the line but didn’t get the timing right. The ball went high up in the sky as du Plooy at midwicket took it safely. Luke Wells came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace. Wells launched Overton for the maximum over backward square leg.
Steve Smith got into the act as he hit a hat-trick of boundaries off Reece Topley. Jofra Archer came into the attack to bowl the final set of powerplay and he got rid of Luke Wells for 9 off 7 balls with a maximum to his name. Archer bowled a back of a length delivery angling across outside the off-stump, Wells cleared his front leg and swiped across the line but got the top edge flying towards deep backward square leg. Hilton Cartwright made no mistake at deep backward square leg. Captain Tom Abell came to the crease next and got off the mark.
Archer got two in the set as he now removed Steve Smith for 13 off 7 balls with 3 boundaries to his name. He bowled another back of a length delivery outside the off-stump. Smith looked to guide the pull towards midwicket but got hit high on the bat as the ball lobbed towards mid-on. James Vince from the ring backtracked to take the catch. Tom Kohler-Cadmore came out to bat next as Welsh Fire at the end of 25 balls of powerplay were 46/3.
Craig Overton bowled a decent set keeping it tight. Chris Jordan came into the attack and got rid of Tom Abell for 2 off 3 balls. He bowled from over the wicket back of a length delivery angling down the leg side, Abell glanced at it and got a thick edge on it. Laurie Evans dived to his left and took it safely. Saif Zaib came out to bat next and got off the mark. Topley bowled a miserly set keeping it tight. Zaib broke the shackles somewhat striking a maximum off Archer. Zaib managed to hit a boundary away off Jordan.
After 50 balls, at the halfway stage of the chase, Welsh Fire were 73/4 requiring a further 57 runs off 50 balls. It was their game to lose. Michael Bracewell came onto bowl next as Zaib got a reprieve with du Plooy dropping him at extra cover. But the dropped catch did not prove costly as Overton came back and got rid of Zaib for 21 off 19 balls with a boundary and maximum to his name. Overton bowled a full pace-off ball, Zaib gave the charge and went through with the lofted shot but mistimed it to Chris Jordan at mid-on. Paul Walter came out to bat next.
Topley kept things under check while Kohler-Cadmore broke the shackles a little bit hitting Archer for a boundary. Archer came back and got rid of Paul Walter for 2 off 7 balls. Hard length ball angled in at the body from Archer, Walter tried to whip it leg side and ended up getting a leading edge. Vince had to charge in from mid-on and then dived forward to take the catch inches from the ground making it look easy. Chris Green came out to bat next.
Bracewell bowled another tidy set as Welsh Fire reached 96/6 in 75 balls and required 34 off 25 balls as James Coles came into the attack for the first time. Green hammered Coles for a boundary as the 100 came up in 77 balls. But Coles hit back getting rid of Green for 6 off 5 balls with a boundary to his name. He bowled on a good length following the batter. Green had moved his front foot towards the leg side to open himself up and ended up inside edging onto the back leg and the ball deflected onto the stumps. David Payne came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Jordan gifted 5 wides as a bonus to the batting side. Archer bowled a tight set as well as the equation boiled down to 16 off 10 balls. Coles struck getting rid of Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 25 off 28 balls with a boundary to his name. Coles fired a full one at the pads, Kohler-Cadmore expected it. He opened up his shoulders and swung for the heavens. He found the man at midwicket. Matt Henry came out to bat next. He got off the mark and there was also a missed stumping off Payne by Evans as 12 was needed off the final 5 balls.
Chris Jordan had ball in hand to bowl the final set. Henry miscued a shot and managed to get 3 runs off the first ball while Payne got a single next ball as the equation boiled down to 8 off 3 balls. Jordan nailed his death bowling skills giving 2 singles off the next 2 balls and that meant 6 was required off the final ball of the match. Henry was on strike but Jordan held his nerve and gave only a single. Payne remained unbeaten on 8 off 9 balls while Henry was unbeaten on 6 off 5 balls as Welsh Fire finished with 125/8 in 100 balls as Southern Brave won the match by 4 runs. 11 extras given by the fielding side.
Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers for Southern Brave finishing with 3/20 in 20 balls. He was ably supported by Craig Overton who finished with 2/31 in 20 balls while James Coles chipped in with 2/10 in 10 balls. Chris Jordan bowled the crucial last set and finished with 1/25 in 20 balls. Reece Topley gave 28 runs in 20 balls, while Michael Bracewell gave away 9 runs in 10 balls. So, Southern Brave win by 4 runs and for his breath-taking innings of 51* off 19 balls, Hilton Cartwright was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
With this win, Southern Brave consolidates 4th place with 12 points from 6 games with 3 wins and 3 losses while Welsh Fire lose another and stay at the bottom of the points table with1 win from 5 games having only 4 points to their kitty.
What Lies Ahead.Â
We are back at the Oval in London for tonight’s top of the table clash between Oval Invincibles as the defending champions host Trent Rockets at 11 PM IST. Both teams have 16 points in 5 games with a loss each and the winner will be at the top of the points table.
Who will come out on top in this top-of-the table intriguing clash? Only time will tell as we will be set for a thriller at the Oval.
Also Read: Hundred 2025: David Willey’s 3-Wicket Haul Leads Trent Rockets To An Emphatic Win.