138/3 (19.1)
CR : 7.20
137/9 (20.0)
CR : 6.85
Welsh Fire won by 7 wickets π
Player of the Match
Joe Root
58(40)*
Over 19
Welsh Fire 137/3
Joe Root57(39)
Tom Kohler-Cadmore1(1)
Saqib Mahmood1-32(20 b)
Excellent reverse-sweep, and Welsh Fire have levelled the scores now.
Saqib Mahmood finishes with 1/32. Scott Currie to bowl the final set.
Saqib Mahmood finishes with 1/32. Scott Currie to bowl the final set.
19.1
1
Scott Currie to Joe Root
Root seals the deal for Welsh Fire!!! Length ball outside off. 82 mph. Root dabs it to backward point for a comfortable single and takes his team over the line. The Welsh Fire now move to 2nd place on the table with that win.
Over 20
Welsh Fire 138/3
Joe Root58(40)
Tom Kohler-Cadmore1(1)
Scott Currie0-24(16 b)
WF won by 7 wickets
09:45 PM IST, 05:15 PM Local Time: A pretty comfortable 7-wicket in the end for Welsh Fire over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston, Birmingham. With this victory, Welsh Fire jump up to No.2 in the points table.
Chasing 138 for victory, Welsh Fire got a fine start as the duo of Phil Salt and Joe Root put on 37/0 in the Powerplay. It wasn't with a stroke of luck, though, as Salt was caught at mid-on off the third ball in the innings, but Saqib Mahmood had overstepped to provide a reprieve. The Phoenix's spinners, Rehan Ahmed and Usman Tariq, were relatively quiet, but the opening pair of Welsh Fire didn't let go of any of the odd loose deliveries.
Salt fell just 4 short of his fifty as he was trapped in front by Mitchell Owen for 46 (36), with the breakthrough bringing an end to a 77-run opening stand. Rachin Ravindra, who was excellent with the ball, didn't get going with the bat, though, as he made only a run-a-ball 7 before being adjudged LBW off Chris Wood's bowling. Despite that dismissal, Welsh Fire continued to pace the chase comfortably with Root going on to register his 4th fifty in the Hundred while Jordan Cox produced a few boundaries as well. With just six runs required for victory, Saqib Mahmood castled Cox, but Root ensured there were no more hiccups to seal the match with four balls to spare.
Earlier in the match, Mitchell Owen was promoted to open with Will Smeed. While Smeed got out cheaply off Chris Woakes' bowling, Owen and Joe Clarke, in particular, blazed away to help the Phoenix score 51/1 in the Powerplay. However, the game changed largely due to Cox's exhilarating fielding at long-on as he plucked out two jaw-dropping catches to get rid of Owen and Clarke.
The Phoenix started to completely lose their way from there on, with Laurie Evans and Rehan Ahmed getting run out in poor fashion. After a slow start, the Phoenix's skipper, Donovan Ferreira, struck two consecutive sixes off Rachin Ravindra, but the left-arm spinner had the final laugh, having the South African caught at backward point. The home side just couldn't get an acceleration, with the Fire's seamers continuing to use the slower balls to great effect. Phoenix ended up with only 137/9 while Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen ended up as the stand-out bowlers with two wickets apiece.
Chasing 138 for victory, Welsh Fire got a fine start as the duo of Phil Salt and Joe Root put on 37/0 in the Powerplay. It wasn't with a stroke of luck, though, as Salt was caught at mid-on off the third ball in the innings, but Saqib Mahmood had overstepped to provide a reprieve. The Phoenix's spinners, Rehan Ahmed and Usman Tariq, were relatively quiet, but the opening pair of Welsh Fire didn't let go of any of the odd loose deliveries.
Salt fell just 4 short of his fifty as he was trapped in front by Mitchell Owen for 46 (36), with the breakthrough bringing an end to a 77-run opening stand. Rachin Ravindra, who was excellent with the ball, didn't get going with the bat, though, as he made only a run-a-ball 7 before being adjudged LBW off Chris Wood's bowling. Despite that dismissal, Welsh Fire continued to pace the chase comfortably with Root going on to register his 4th fifty in the Hundred while Jordan Cox produced a few boundaries as well. With just six runs required for victory, Saqib Mahmood castled Cox, but Root ensured there were no more hiccups to seal the match with four balls to spare.
Earlier in the match, Mitchell Owen was promoted to open with Will Smeed. While Smeed got out cheaply off Chris Woakes' bowling, Owen and Joe Clarke, in particular, blazed away to help the Phoenix score 51/1 in the Powerplay. However, the game changed largely due to Cox's exhilarating fielding at long-on as he plucked out two jaw-dropping catches to get rid of Owen and Clarke.
The Phoenix started to completely lose their way from there on, with Laurie Evans and Rehan Ahmed getting run out in poor fashion. After a slow start, the Phoenix's skipper, Donovan Ferreira, struck two consecutive sixes off Rachin Ravindra, but the left-arm spinner had the final laugh, having the South African caught at backward point. The home side just couldn't get an acceleration, with the Fire's seamers continuing to use the slower balls to great effect. Phoenix ended up with only 137/9 while Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen ended up as the stand-out bowlers with two wickets apiece.
Highest Individual Scores for Welsh Fire vs Birmingham Phoenix in Menβs Hundred:
58* β Joe Root, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
54 β Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Cardiff, 2024
47* β Steve Smith, Birmingham, 2025
58* β Joe Root, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
54 β Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Cardiff, 2024
47* β Steve Smith, Birmingham, 2025
Player of the Match: Joe Root
Joe Root (POTM): "[A job well done?] Yeah, I mean that's the game. You try to get across the line. If you get in as a batter, see it through the end. That's why you play cricket. You want to be ruthless and it is nice to get it done today.
[On bowlers setting up the win] Definitely, especially after the backend of the powerplay. We talked about keep talking wickets and taking the chances when they come along. We knew it is a fast-scoring ground, so there will always going to be a time where they will put us under pressure, and it was about how we bounce back and we did well.
[Team gelling nicely?] Yeah, I think we got a lot of depth and a good variety in our attack. If we can make Cardiff a difficult place for others to come and play, then we will go a long way into the tournament."
[On bowlers setting up the win] Definitely, especially after the backend of the powerplay. We talked about keep talking wickets and taking the chances when they come along. We knew it is a fast-scoring ground, so there will always going to be a time where they will put us under pressure, and it was about how we bounce back and we did well.
[Team gelling nicely?] Yeah, I think we got a lot of depth and a good variety in our attack. If we can make Cardiff a difficult place for others to come and play, then we will go a long way into the tournament."
So, that is it from myself, Karthik Raj and my co-commentator, Ajay as we wrap up the coverage of this fixture. A note of thanks to our scorer, Raju Khariya as well. Do switch over to the other live matches going around including the second game of the night in the Men's Hundred which will see London Spirit take on Southern Brave with the first ball at 10:30 PM IST!