140/2 (17.4)
CR : 7.92
138/9 (20.0)
CR : 6.90
Welsh Fire won by 8 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Benjamin Kellaway
2/10
Smith moves to 47*. He is at the non-striker's end now. Fire need 3 to win.
17.4
4
T Southee to T Abell
FOUR! The skipper hits the winning runs! Welsh Fire remain alive in the Men's Hundred 2025! They win by 8 wickets! Length delivery, outside the off stump, Abell pokes with a deft touch and gets the ball to race through slips and run away to the boundary to seal the victory!
Over 18
Welsh Fire 140/2
Tom Abell6(3)
Steve Smith47(36)
Tim Southee0-18(14 b)
WF won by 8 wickets
1:28 AM IST, 8:58 PM local time: Welsh Fire win by 8 wickets and stay alive in the competition.
Perhaps, it is poetic justice that Steve Smith, who was booed by the Edgbaston crowd throughout this game, remained not out till the end and took his side over the line. In all fairness, there was hardly a moment in the match where it felt that the Fire were behind.
To think of it, the only time the home team seemed to be in ascendency was when Joe Clarke was playing his effervescent cameo of 24 (12). He had come out to bat after his team had gotten off to a sedate start and immediately took on young Ajeet Singh Dale. That set yielded 15 runs and eventually, the seamer finished with expensive looking figures of 1/26 off his 10 balls.
But once Clarke was dismissed, it all seemed to fizzle out. Apart from Dale, every bowler who got the chance to roll his arm over returned tidy sets. Chris Green stood out with his three-for, while debutant Benjamin Kellaway had an evening that he won't forget. He picked up two wickets, three catches and also effected a run out. Alas, he could not have the opportunity to bat because the Phoenix only managed to put up a lacklustre 138/9 on the board. Jacob Bethell stayed till the end and garnered 38 runs but never looked like running away with the rate of scoring.
In the end, it turned out to be a fairly easy chase for the visiting side. Stephen Eskinazi's exuberant knock of 42 (29) set the tone and Jonny Bairstow's 21-ball-35 provided the impetus in the middle. Smith was not at his fluent best to begin with, but managed to find some rhythm and finished with an unbeaten 47* (36). Benny Howell's immaculate figures of 1/17 were the only saving grace for the Phoenix in the bowling department.
Perhaps, it is poetic justice that Steve Smith, who was booed by the Edgbaston crowd throughout this game, remained not out till the end and took his side over the line. In all fairness, there was hardly a moment in the match where it felt that the Fire were behind.
To think of it, the only time the home team seemed to be in ascendency was when Joe Clarke was playing his effervescent cameo of 24 (12). He had come out to bat after his team had gotten off to a sedate start and immediately took on young Ajeet Singh Dale. That set yielded 15 runs and eventually, the seamer finished with expensive looking figures of 1/26 off his 10 balls.
But once Clarke was dismissed, it all seemed to fizzle out. Apart from Dale, every bowler who got the chance to roll his arm over returned tidy sets. Chris Green stood out with his three-for, while debutant Benjamin Kellaway had an evening that he won't forget. He picked up two wickets, three catches and also effected a run out. Alas, he could not have the opportunity to bat because the Phoenix only managed to put up a lacklustre 138/9 on the board. Jacob Bethell stayed till the end and garnered 38 runs but never looked like running away with the rate of scoring.
In the end, it turned out to be a fairly easy chase for the visiting side. Stephen Eskinazi's exuberant knock of 42 (29) set the tone and Jonny Bairstow's 21-ball-35 provided the impetus in the middle. Smith was not at his fluent best to begin with, but managed to find some rhythm and finished with an unbeaten 47* (36). Benny Howell's immaculate figures of 1/17 were the only saving grace for the Phoenix in the bowling department.
Player of the Match: Ben Kellaway
Ben Kellaway (Player of the Match): "I am absolutely delighted. Making my debut was special enough, and coming out to contribute to the team was excellent. The lads have been amazing; the results haven't gone our way, but we are enjoying it.
The thought was to come out and enjoy the game, happy to contribute with a couple of wickets and catches. We need to keep doing the basics well, we need to keep pushing and hope that the other results go our way."
The thought was to come out and enjoy the game, happy to contribute with a couple of wickets and catches. We need to keep doing the basics well, we need to keep pushing and hope that the other results go our way."
Welsh Fire's clinical win over Birmingham Phoenix means that heading into the final six league stage matches, every team still has a chance of qualifying for the top three. That means that every game from now on will be that much more important. It all sets up for a cracking week of The Hundred, doesn't it?
And like always, we will be here to take you through the nitty-gritty of each of those encounters as they come along. So, keep following Crickxo!
For now, it is the troika of Darpan Tikiya, Anirudh Modi and Paras Yadav signing off! Ciao!
And like always, we will be here to take you through the nitty-gritty of each of those encounters as they come along. So, keep following Crickxo!
For now, it is the troika of Darpan Tikiya, Anirudh Modi and Paras Yadav signing off! Ciao!