116/4 (19.0)
CR : 6.11
115/8 (20.0)
CR : 5.75
Welsh Fire won by 6 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Matthew Short
2/1360(41)*
18.3
0
Marcus Stoinis to Tom Kohler-Cadmore
71 mph. Slow bouncer outside the off stump. Swing and a miss through to the keeper. Umpire signals one for the over.
18.4
2
Marcus Stoinis to Tom Kohler-Cadmore
79 mph. Yorker outside the off stump. Lunges forward and makes it a low full toss. Drives it through extra cover. Archer from long off chases the ball brilliantly to his left and allows just a couple of runs.
18.5
2lb
Marcus Stoinis to Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Back of a length delivery sliding down the leg side. Grazes the thigh pad on the way. Smith dives behind the stumps to his left but fails to get a hand on it. Couple of leg byes picked up and that is the game for Welsh Fire!
Over 19
Welsh Fire 116/4
Tom Kohler-Cadmore23(19)
Matthew Short60(41)
Marcus Stoinis0-30(20 b)
WF won by 6 wickets
1:49 AM IST, 9:19 PM Local Time: Welsh Fire win by 6 wickets! It was not an easy chase but Matt Short with his brilliance did well enough to see his team across the line. The conditions were challenging and something that kept everyone on the edge. In the end Welsh Fire make sure the home crowd goes home happy.
Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bowl first. They started off superbly and reduced the Brave to 2/2. Nikhil Chaudhary and Marcus Stoinis added 43 for the 3rd wicket before Chaudhary was dismissed for 18. Marcus Stoinis stood at one end and witnessed a collapse break out at the other end. From 45/2 the score slipped to 61/5 and finally 88/6 when Marcus Stoinis himself hit one straight down to deep backward square leg for 55. David Miller muscled 21 off 17 and pushed the score to 115/8 in 100 balls. The pick of the bowlers for the Welsh Fire were Sam Cook (3-14), Matt Short (2-13) and Rachin Ravindra (2-27).
The chase was always going to be tricky with the likes of Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid in the opposition. Archer removed Phil Salt early and reduced the Fire to 4/1. Matt Short and Joe Root added 56 runs for the second wicket. Short was the one batter who across both the teams looked comfortable on this wicket and played beautiful shots. Joe Root did well to rotate strike before his wicket triggered a mini collapse.
He was dismissed for 17 and from 60/1, the hosts slipped to 70/4. The likes of Rachin Ravindra (0) and Jordan Cox (6) could not add much in the middle. Matt Short was running out of partners, and the Brave were fighting back beautifully. That is when Tom Kohler-Cadmore came in and made sure he brought the innings back on track. Short raced past 50. He ended with 60 off 41. Kohler-Cadmore had 23 off 19 next to his name. The pair finished the chase with 5 balls to spare. The pick of the bowlers for the Brave were Jofra Archer (2-19), Chris Jordan (1-17) and Adil Rashid (1-23).
Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bowl first. They started off superbly and reduced the Brave to 2/2. Nikhil Chaudhary and Marcus Stoinis added 43 for the 3rd wicket before Chaudhary was dismissed for 18. Marcus Stoinis stood at one end and witnessed a collapse break out at the other end. From 45/2 the score slipped to 61/5 and finally 88/6 when Marcus Stoinis himself hit one straight down to deep backward square leg for 55. David Miller muscled 21 off 17 and pushed the score to 115/8 in 100 balls. The pick of the bowlers for the Welsh Fire were Sam Cook (3-14), Matt Short (2-13) and Rachin Ravindra (2-27).
The chase was always going to be tricky with the likes of Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid in the opposition. Archer removed Phil Salt early and reduced the Fire to 4/1. Matt Short and Joe Root added 56 runs for the second wicket. Short was the one batter who across both the teams looked comfortable on this wicket and played beautiful shots. Joe Root did well to rotate strike before his wicket triggered a mini collapse.
He was dismissed for 17 and from 60/1, the hosts slipped to 70/4. The likes of Rachin Ravindra (0) and Jordan Cox (6) could not add much in the middle. Matt Short was running out of partners, and the Brave were fighting back beautifully. That is when Tom Kohler-Cadmore came in and made sure he brought the innings back on track. Short raced past 50. He ended with 60 off 41. Kohler-Cadmore had 23 off 19 next to his name. The pair finished the chase with 5 balls to spare. The pick of the bowlers for the Brave were Jofra Archer (2-19), Chris Jordan (1-17) and Adil Rashid (1-23).
Player of the Match: Matthew Short
Matthew Short (Player of the Match): [on the knock] "It was nice and tough early here at Cardiff. Pretty spicy and some pretty quick bowlers that get some nice bounce. It's a bit of a grind early but nice to bat second there and get a bit of dew and bit of skid off the wicket. I was happy with the knock.
[on chat at the halfway stage] Just red ball length. Test length. It was nipping around early so Salty and our openers were aware of that and probably thinking that they're going to come hard at us. It's probably similar to most of the innings here. Just grind early and just play good shots and hopefully the shine wears off and it gets a bit easier.
[on the bowlers] Just class. They just hit a length, let the ball do the talking and the wicket do the talking and got us to a great start. Gave us a nice total to chase down there."
[on chat at the halfway stage] Just red ball length. Test length. It was nipping around early so Salty and our openers were aware of that and probably thinking that they're going to come hard at us. It's probably similar to most of the innings here. Just grind early and just play good shots and hopefully the shine wears off and it gets a bit easier.
[on the bowlers] Just class. They just hit a length, let the ball do the talking and the wicket do the talking and got us to a great start. Gave us a nice total to chase down there."
Phil Salt (Welsh Fire Captain): "[On the tricky pitch] Yeah absolutely. Fresh wicket in Cardiff, probably every batter's nightmare. So really pleased to come up with a win.
[On the winning momentum] Yeah absolutely. There is a lot of cricket left though. This is probably the best Welsh Fire team set up to play in Cardiff, so it is pleasing to get the results at home.
[On the approach in the chase] So, for the guys who play aggressively it was about them to just go out there and whack the bowlers off their lengths. Then we had many in the middle order who could rotate the strike well. You got to be really clear about the plans. That was the main thing. Guys who are explosive need to go out there and win you the game in the fewest possible balls. The other guys who play the percentages need to do their bit.
[On Sam Cook and Chris Woakes bowling in tandem] Yeah, they are a nightmare. I wouldn't want to face them. Southern Brave have some good bowlers as well but in terms of suiting the conditions, Sam and Woakes are the best.
[On having such a well-rounded squad] Yeah, it is. That was the challenge early on. It is pleasing to see this. However, I can't be too pleased too early. As I said, a lot of cricket is still to be played.
[On the crowd] There is always a good crowd. I am just happy we are winning. I hope that is an extra motivation for the people to come down and support us and hopefully we continue winning."
[On the winning momentum] Yeah absolutely. There is a lot of cricket left though. This is probably the best Welsh Fire team set up to play in Cardiff, so it is pleasing to get the results at home.
[On the approach in the chase] So, for the guys who play aggressively it was about them to just go out there and whack the bowlers off their lengths. Then we had many in the middle order who could rotate the strike well. You got to be really clear about the plans. That was the main thing. Guys who are explosive need to go out there and win you the game in the fewest possible balls. The other guys who play the percentages need to do their bit.
[On Sam Cook and Chris Woakes bowling in tandem] Yeah, they are a nightmare. I wouldn't want to face them. Southern Brave have some good bowlers as well but in terms of suiting the conditions, Sam and Woakes are the best.
[On having such a well-rounded squad] Yeah, it is. That was the challenge early on. It is pleasing to see this. However, I can't be too pleased too early. As I said, a lot of cricket is still to be played.
[On the crowd] There is always a good crowd. I am just happy we are winning. I hope that is an extra motivation for the people to come down and support us and hopefully we continue winning."
The two games at Cardiff come to an end with the home team in both the women's and men's fixtures notching up crucial wins.
The Hundred juggernaut moves to Leeds tomorrow. Sunrisers Leeds take on London Spirit. The women's fixture will start at 7:30 PM IST (3 PM Local Time). The men's fixture will start at 11 PM IST (6:30 PM Local Time).
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Ninaad Dixit and Raju Khariya. See you!!!
The Hundred juggernaut moves to Leeds tomorrow. Sunrisers Leeds take on London Spirit. The women's fixture will start at 7:30 PM IST (3 PM Local Time). The men's fixture will start at 11 PM IST (6:30 PM Local Time).
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Ninaad Dixit and Raju Khariya. See you!!!