Joe Root showed his class as his masterful innings guided Trent Rockets over the line and a place in the playoffs. Joe Root batted like a determined batter and took advantage of a reprieve early on to punish Welsh Fire and played a clutch innings under pressure as Trent Rockets won by 3 wickets and booked their spot in the playoffs. Welsh Fire made 150/6 with Stephen Eskinazi making 53 and captain Tom Abell making 48 off 29 balls as the bowlers led by Samuel James Cook bowled decently.
In reply, Joe Root was dismissed in the first set off David Payne but the bowler bowled a no ball and Root made them pay as he held the innings together and finished things off as well at the death when things got tricky. His unbeaten 64 off 41 balls alongside other contributions took Rockets over the line and into second place on Net Run Rate as we now know our three teams for playoffs of Hundred 2025.
Stephen Eskinazi & Tom Abell propels Welsh Fire to 150/6.Â
Put into bat first, Stephen Eskinazi and Steve Smith came out to open the batting for Welsh Fire while captain David Willey had ball in hand for Trent Rockets. Willey bowled a decent first set and continued bowling the second set. Eskinazi made his intentions clear as he pummelled Willey over deep square leg for the maximum. Samuel James Cook came into the attack next as Smith got into the act with a boundary through the point region. But Cook had his revenge getting rid of Smith for 8 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name.
Cook bowled a short of length outside off-stump, Smith walked to his right and looked to scoop the ball through fine leg but he only got a tickle to Tom Moores behind the stumps who does the rest as the umpire raised his finger. Jonny Bairstow came out to bat next. Cook bowled another set and kept things under check. Lockie Ferguson came to bowl the final set of powerplay and bowled a miserly set. After 25 balls of powerplay, Welsh Fire were 24/1.
Marcus Stoinis came into the attack post the powerplay and bowled another tidy set. David Willey changed ends as Eskinazi survived a minor run out scare. Bairstow got into the act as he hit a boundary off Willey. Cook came back and got rid of Bairstow for 8 off 13 balls with a boundary to his name. Cook bowled it short and angled in, Bairstow looked to pull but he only got a top edge to short fine leg where Lockie Ferguson took a simple catch. Captain Tom Abell came to the crease next.
He got off the mark soon and managed to pull Cook away for a boundary. Abell was adjudged LBW off Marcus Stoinis but he reviewed it successfully and got the decision overturned in his favour. Eskinazi hit Stoinis through mid-off for a boundary. George Linde came into the attack and bowled a decent set as Welsh Fire reached 51/2 after 50 balls at the halfway stage of the innings.
Rehan Ahmed came into the attack next. He too bowled a decent set. Eskinazi finally broke the shackles hitting a boundary through extra cover off Linde. Lockie Ferguson bowled a decent set as the boundaries had dried up a bit. Abell then broke the shackles as he hit Stoinis for consecutive boundaries. Rehan Ahmed returned and was reverse swept by Abell for a boundary. Rehan gave away four leg byes to the batting side while Eskinazi drove Rehan past extra covers for a boundary.
After 75 balls, Welsh Fire were 99/2. Eskinazi hit Linde for a boundary down the ground as the 100 was raised in 76 balls. He repeated the dose off Linde by sweeping it through short fine leg. Lockie Ferguson came back into the attack as Abell launched him down the ground for a maximum. Eskinazi smashed Willey for a maximum to reach to his fifty off 40 balls. Abell flat batted Willey through long-off for a boundary.
But Willey hit back to get rid of Abell for 48 off 29 balls with 5 fours and a maximum to his name. Willey bowled a full ball angling wide of off-stump. Abell looked to hit it over covers and seemed to miss it to the keeper. There was a caught behind appeal from Rockets and they reviewed it after umpire gave it NOT OUT. On replays, it was seen that there was a spike on Ultra-Edge when ball passed the bat. So, the decision was overturned to OUT. Tom Kohler-Cadmore came out to bat next.
Stephen Eskinazi was next run out for 53 off 42 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name while trying to steal a second run as Moores whipped off the bails. Good work by Stoinis in the square leg region. Benjamin Kellaway came to the crease next and got off the mark straightaway. Ferguson soon dismissed him for 1 off 3 balls. Ferguson bowled it slower on a length, Kellaway looked to play the reverse scoop over the keeper but he missed it as the ball went onto strike the top of off-stump. Chris Green came out to bat next.
Green smashed Stoinis for two consecutive boundaries before Stoinis gave 5 wides as a bonus to the batting side. Stoinis eventually got rid of Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 1 off 2 balls off the last ball of the innings. He bowled it short and slow outside off-stump, Kohler-Cadmore pulled it to deep midwicket where Max Holden took an excellent catch showing superb footwork to ensure that he didn’t have contact with the boundary rope. Green remained unbeaten on 11 off 4 balls with 2 boundaries to his name as Welsh Fire finished with 150/6 in 100 balls with 20 extras given by the fielding side.
Samuel James Cook was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/17 in 15 balls. David Willey chipped in with 1/30 in 20 balls. Lockie Ferguson bowled well for his 1/21 in 20 balls while Marcus Stoinis finished with 1/38 in 20 balls. George Linde gave 22 runs in 15 balls while Rehan Ahmed gave 14 runs in 10 balls. This meant that Trent Rockets needed 151 to win off 100 balls for a place in the playoffs.
Joe Root’s Unbeaten 64 Takes Trent Rockets Into The Playoffs.Â
Chasing 151 for the win, Tom Banton and Joe Root walked out to bat for Trent Rockets while David Payne had ball in hand for Welsh Fire. Joe Root got a reprieve when he was on 0 as he was caught by Chris Green off David Payne but the bowler overstepped and Root smashed the free hit for the maximum to make the fielding team pay for their mistake. Payne got punished again this time by Banton for three boundaries in 4 balls.
Riley Meredith came into the attack next and bowled a decent set. Chris Green was introduced inside the powerplay. Root hit Green by sweeping him through deep backward square leg for a boundary. Root also hit Meredith for a boundary through fine leg region. At the end of 25 balls of powerplay, Trent Rockets were 46/0. Josh Hull came into the attack and bowled a no ball and the free hit was dispatched by Banton for a maximum over deep midwicket. Banton cut him for a boundary behind point before Hull gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side.
Benjamin Kellaway came into the attack next and he provided the first breakthrough getting rid of Banton for 32 off 20 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name. Kellaway bowled it full and wide of off-stump from around the wicket. Banton came down the track and looked to lift it over long-off but he mistimed it. Tom Abell at short extra cover ran back and took a fine catch. Rehan Ahmed came out to bat next.
Kellaway bowled another tidy set before Root broke the shackles by smashing Green over wide long-on for a maximum. Josh Hull returned and was greeted with a maximum from Rehan Ahmed. After 50 balls at the halfway stage of the chase, Trent Rockets were 87/1. Saif Zaib was introduced into the attack and he got rid of Rehan Ahmed for 10 off 10 balls with a maximum to his name.
Zaib bowled a full ball sliding into the stumps, Rehan looked to go big but he mistimed it to long-on where the fielder Steve Smith ran in to take an easy catch. Max Holden came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary straightaway. Root put away a loose delivery from Kellaway to the cover fence as the 100 came up for Trent Rockets in 60 balls. Riley Meredith came back into the attack and bowled a decent set. Hull too kept it tight as boundaries had dried up a bit for the Rockets.
Kellaway too bowled another good set as Trent Rockets after 75 balls were 116/2 needing 151 for the win. Green came back and removed Holden for 14 off 14 balls with a boundary to his name. Green bowled it full and wide of off-stump from around the wicket. Holden leaned forward and lifted it to deep covers where Kellaway took an easy catch. Tom Moores came out to bat and got off the mark with a brace but soon got out to Green in the same set for 2 off 3 balls.
Green bowled a length delivery outside off-stump. Moores punched it straight down the throat of Steven Smith at long-off. George Linde came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Linde launched Payne over long-off for the maximum. Linde then got a reprieve as Chris Green put him down off Payne. But the dropped catch did not prove costly though as Meredith came back and dismissed Linde for 12 off 8 balls with a maximum to his name.
Meredith bowled it short and slow outside leg stump, Linde pulled it to deep backward square leg where Kellaway back tracked and took a cracking catch under pressure. Marcus Stoinis came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Joe Root reached his half-century as well off 36 balls. Trent Rockets now needed 18 off 10 balls to win the contest.
Payne came back and dismissed Stoinis for 1 off 2 balls. He bowled it full slow and wide of off-stump, Stoinis walked across to his right and scooped the ball over the keeper. Josh Hull at short fine leg raced to his right and slid to take a fine catch. David Willey came out to bat next and was dismissed first ball for a golden duck. Payne bowled it short of a length, slow and wide of off-stump, Willey lifted it straight down to long-off where Luke Wells took the catch calmly. Sam Hain came and survived the hat-trick ball and managed to take a leg bye.
With 14 needed off 5 balls, Chris Green had the ball in hand and Joe Root was on strike. Root came to the party now as he ran down the track to smash Green over wide long-on for the maximum. Then he danced down the track to heave it to the left of deep midwicket for a boundary. He took a single to get to the other end and with 3 needed off 2 balls, Sam Hain held his nerves as he came down the pitch and drove it to the right of deep covers for a boundary as Rockets were home by 3 wickets with a ball to spare.
Joe Root remained unbeaten on 64 off 41 balls laced with 4 fours and 3 sixes to his name while Hain was unbeaten with 4 off 2 balls with a boundary to his name. 13 extras given by the fielding side. For the Welsh Fire, Chris Green finished with 2/34 in 19 balls. David Payne finished with 2/38 in 20 balls. Riley Meredith bowled well for his 1/20 in 20 balls. Benjamin Kellaway was excellent with his 1/18 in 20 balls while Saif Zaib picked up 1/8 in 5 balls. Josh Hull finished with 0/26 in 15 balls.
So, Trent Rockets win by 3 wickets with a ball to spare and for his outstanding innings under pressure, Joe Root was awarded the Player of the Match. With this win, Trent Rockets climb upwards to second place in the points table with 20 points from 7 games same as Oval Invincibles and Northern Superchargers. The Net Run Rate separating the top 3 teams and these are the three teams that have made it through to the playoffs.
What Lies Ahead.Â
The bandwagon moves to the Oval in London for the London Derby as defending champions Oval Invincibles host the London Spirit from 11 PM IST. It is the second meeting between the two sides with Oval winning the first meeting at Lord’s on opening day. Oval will want to win to secure top spot and direct entry into the final while London Spirit will want to end their season on a high with a win.
So, a lot to look forward to as Hundred 2025 reaches its final round of fixtures with 4 matches remaining now before the playoffs which will take place over the weekend. So, a lot to look forward to for all cricket fans from Hundred 2025 in the coming days.
Also Read:Â Hundred 2025: Welsh Fire Keeps Their Playoff Hopes Alive After An Impressive Win Over Birmingham Phoenix.