A counter-attacking half-century from Hilton Cartwright led Southern Brave to victory over Welsh Fire in a tight game in The Hundred.
Cartwright made an unbeaten 51 to help Brave rally to 129-8, before Brave’s bowlers closed out with the ball in a topsy-turvy chase.
Electing to bowl first in helpful conditions, Welsh Fire’s new-ball pairing of David Payne (2-25) and Matt Henry (2-5) were exceptional, bowling 20 of the first 25 deliveries.
Henry in particular was relentless, dismissing Leeus du Ploy (2 off 6) and Jason Roy (4 off 12) on the way to a remarkable return of 2-5 from 20 balls – the second most economical figures in the history of The Hundred.
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Watch Hilton Cartwright’s best shots as he scored an incredible 50 off just 19 balls for Southern Brave against Welsh Fire
Brave skipper James Vince (29 off 26) dug in, helping his side recover to 53-3 at halfway before eventually falling when he pulled a short ball from Chris Green (2-24) straight down Saif Zaib’s throat at deep midwicket for 29.
Enter Cartwright. The Aussie big-hitter went on the attack immediately, hitting five sixes, mixing power and innovation, as he reached a 19-ball half-century, finishing 51 not out as the Brave made 129-8.
In the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (22 off 10) came out swinging, hitting Craig Overton (2-31) for two fours and a six in the first set before he fell for 22, skying Overton to du Plooy in the ring.
The chase ebbed backwards and forwards and with 20 balls left, Fire needed 27 to win with three wickets in hand and just the tail for company for Tom Kohler-Cadmore (25 off 28).
Five wides from Jordan took some of the pressure off before four were taken from Archer’s final five, including Laurie Evans putting down David Payne (8no off 9) behind the stumps to leave 16 required off 10.
Kohler-Cadmore then found Cartwright in the deep off Coles, leaving Payne and Matt Henry (6no off 5) – Fire’s heroes with the ball at the top of the day – to find the crucial 12 runs to take Fire to victory, from the final five to be bowled by Jordan.
Jordan, so often the winner with the ball in hand at the death, delivered a fine last five to ensure it was Brave who got over the line.
How do matches work?
One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
What’s next?
The Hundred continues live on Sky Sports Cricket on Thursday with Trent Rockets away at the Oval Invincibles, while Manchester Originals are not back in action until Sunday against Birmingham Phoenix.
London Spirit play on Saturday against Southern Brave while Northern Superchargers play on the same day against Oval Invincibles.
Welsh Fire return on Friday away at Birmingham Phoenix.
Watch every match across the women’s and men’s competitions live on Sky Sports from August 5-31.
