In The Hundred men’s tournament, Southern Brave easily defeated Welsh Fire by 42 runs thanks to James Vince’s incredible undefeated 73 and Tymal Mills’ deft 4-16.
After being asked to bat first on a strange pitch, Braves captain Vince produced another exquisite masterclass, combining strong hitting with delicate strokeplay to enable the team reach 139-5.
Leus du Plooy (age 21) and Kieron Pollard (age 17) both raised a few sixes in encouragement of Vince, but Haris Rauf concluded with a 2-22 result for Fire.
The hosts’ reply never really got going as they struggled to find the boundary in the face of a Brave bowling attack expertly managed by Vince, as the visitors diligently applied pressure from the outset
Jonny Bairstow briefly flickered for Fire before he ramped Craig Overton and was superbly caught by Mills for 16.
Spinner Danny Briggs exploited the scoreboard pressure and bowled intelligently as he finished with 3-14 but experienced left-arm quick Mills finished the pick of the attack.
What else do you need to know?
- Brave’s victory left them two points clear of Oval Invincibles at the top of the standings on eight points, having played a match more. Fire remain in fifth spot on four points.
- Mills claimed a four-wicket haul against Welsh Fire for the second season in succession, having taken 4-13 last year. Briggs’ 3-14 was his best figures in The Hundred to date.
- Vince’s half-century was his seventh in the history of The Hundred. He has 258 runs in this season’s tournament at an average of 86.00.
- Brave fast bowler Jofra Archer was once again rested under instructions from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
‘Tricky to pick a side’ – what they said
Hero of the match James Vince of Southern Brave: “Nice to get the win. Batting first we found it a bit tricky but you never quite know until both sides have batted on it. I thought the way we bowled proved it was reasonably tough out there.
“Bowling wise we’ve dovetailed really well and I feel like we are in nice rhythm. It’s tricky to pick a side. It will depend on conditions which is the nature of tournaments like this. There’s some guys who haven’t played who could easily be playing. A good decision to have.”
Brave fast bowler Chris Jordan: “The bowling attack is balanced and has enough variety to come in at any phase of the game. He [Vince] is a captain who doesn’t like too many preconceived ideas.
“He likes to get a feel and rhythm for the game, and make in-game decisions and adjustments. We all know how he likes to operate and follow suit. The role clarity is there and you can see with the execution as well.”