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Former Pakistan cricketers Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir delivered strong bowling performances, while opener Zak Crawley’s explosive knock powered Northern Superchargers to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Welsh Fire in their first match of The Hundred at Headingley on Thursday.
Welsh Fire, batting first after losing the toss, posted 143 for 9 from their 100 balls. Jonny Bairstow top-scored with a brisk 42 off 23 deliveries, hitting seven boundaries. Steven Smith added 29 off 18 balls, and skipper Tom Abell contributed 18 off 11. However, the rest of the batting order struggled against disciplined bowling.
Imad Wasim shone with the ball, taking 2 for 26 in his 20 balls at an economy rate of 1.30 runs per ball (RPB). Matthew Potts and Adil Rashid also claimed two wickets each, while Mohammad Amir picked up 1 for 28 from his 20 balls, maintaining a 1.40 RPB.
In response, Northern Superchargers chased down the 144-run target in just 89 balls, losing only two wickets. Zak Crawley led the way with a superb 67 off 38 balls, striking five fours and four sixes. Dawid Malan supported him with 41 off 29 balls, and captain Harry Brook finished the job with an unbeaten 25 from 15 balls.
Riley Meredith was the only Welsh Fire bowler to take wickets, finishing with 2 for 33 from his 20 balls.
With this victory, Northern Superchargers moved to second place on the points table. They will face Trent Rockets in their next fixture in Nottingham on Sunday.
