Welsh Fire claimed their fourth win in five matches in this season's Hundred, beating Southern Brave by six wickets in Cardiff after Matt Short made an unbeaten 60. Chasing 116 at Sophia Gardens, the Fire recovered from an early setback to win with five balls remaining.
How did Welsh Fire chase down 116?
The home side lost captain Phil Salt early, but a 56-run stand between Joe Root and Short gave them the platform to chase a tricky target. Chris Jordan then dismissed Root for 17 before Rachin Ravindra followed for a duck, giving Brave a route back into the match.
Jordan Cox became the third Fire wicket to fall in the space of 10 runs, but Short kept the innings under control. Still needing more than a run a ball, he scooped Jofra Archer for six to reach his fifty from 37 balls before combining with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who finished unbeaten on 23, to take Fire over the line.
What happened in Southern Brave's innings?
Brave suffered a nightmare start after being sent in to bat, with openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney both dismissed without scoring. Marcus Stoinis provided the main resistance, making 55 from 39 balls before falling to Sam Cook, who took 3-14.
Nikhil Chaudhary made 18 and David Miller added 21 from 17 balls late on, but no other Brave batter reached double figures as the visitors were restricted to 115-8. Cook's three wickets and Jofra Archer's 2-19 were among the key bowling figures in the match.
What does the result mean for the table?
Fire moved level on 16 points with Trent Rockets at the top of the table, while Brave remained fourth with two wins from six matches. Australian all-rounder Matt Short previously played for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
The Hundred men's competition took place at Sophia Gardens, with Welsh Fire chasing Southern Brave's 115-8 in 95 balls. Southern Brave's innings lasted the full 100 balls, finishing on 115-8 after Marcus Stoinis' 55 and Sam Cook's 3-14.
The Fire innings finished on 116-4 from 95 balls, with Short unbeaten on 60 from 41 balls and Jofra Archer taking 2-19.
Earlier, Brave were 115-8 from 100 balls, with Stoinis top-scoring on 55 from 39 balls and Cook returning 3-14 for Fire.
Ravindra takes two wickets in two balls
What is happening on Tuesday?
Sunrisers Leeds face London Spirit at Headingley on Tuesday. Both Sunrisers and Spirit will look for their second win of the season in the women's competition in the match starting at 15:00 BST, followed by the men's game at 18:30.
You will be able to watch both games lives on BBC Two and BBC .
You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, and the website and app.
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Key Facts
- Welsh Fire beat Southern Brave by six wickets at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
- Matt Short scored an unbeaten 60 from 41 balls.
- Southern Brave made 115-8, with Marcus Stoinis top-scoring on 55 from 39 balls.
- Sam Cook took 3-14 for Welsh Fire, while Jofra Archer finished with 2-19.
- Welsh Fire moved level on 16 points with Trent Rockets at the top of the table.
