That's all from this contest, folks! Southern Brave win the last-ball thriller and move to third on the points table. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of my colleagues, Darpan Tikiya, Paras Yadav, and Aman. CHEERS!
Hilton Cartwright (Player of the Match): "It was an absolute thriller, ebbed and flowed throughout. Happy to get the win. The skipper played out the new ball, made it a bit easier for me. Basically, I took the game on and it worked out for me today. Archer was fantastic, CJ (Jordan) bowled beautifully. It was an all-round team effort."
Player of the Match — Hilton Cartwright
Lowest Total Defended in Men’s Hundred (100 balls):
113/9 by Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire, Cardiff, 2024
123/4 by Trent Rockets vs London Spirit, Lord’s, 2021
129/6 by Welsh Fire vs London Spirit, Nottingham, 2024
129/8 by Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire, Cardiff, 2025, Today*
130/7 by Birmingham Phoenix vs Welsh Fire, Cardiff, 2022
10:23 PM IST, 5:53 PM Local Time: A brilliant bowling display from Southern Brave helped them successfully defend 129 runs, keeping their tournament hopes alive. With this win, Southern Brave move to third on the points table, while Fire are rooted to the bottom of the points table.
Earlier, Hilton Cartwright’s blistering unbeaten 50 off 19 balls rescued Southern Brave from early struggles and lifted them to 129/8. On a green deck, Welsh Fire’s decision to bowl first paid off initially, as David Payne set the tone with tight overs before Matt Henry stole the spotlight. The Kiwi quick produced a seam-bowling clinic, removing Jason Roy and Leus du Plooy while conceding just 5 runs from his 20 balls. At one stage, Brave looked unlikely to cross 100, but Cartwright’s scintillating knock turned the innings around. Chris Green also chipped in with 2/24 at the death, ensuring the total had some respectability. In response, Jonny Bairstow provided a solid start to Welsh Fire, contributing 22 runs off just 10 balls. However, Southern Brave bagged a few wickets at regular intervals and reduced Fire to 50/4. Jofra Archer was the chief destroyer, dismissing Steven Smith (13) and Luke Wells (9) in the same set, while Tom Abell (2) also departed cheaply. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Saif Zaib held their fort for a while in the middle, but Overton removed the latter for 21 runs and broke the 30+ run partnership between the duo. The dismissal triggered a collapse, with Paul Walter (2), Chris Green (6), and Kohler-Cadmore (25) all departing in quick succession, leaving Welsh Fire struggling at 116/8 after 92 balls. With 12 required off the final set, Chris Jordan kept his composure under pressure, conceding only seven runs to seal a narrow 4-run win for Southern Brave.
Jofra Archer shone with the ball for Brave, claiming three wickets for 20 runs in his 20-ball spell. James Coles and Craig Overton chipped in with a couple of wickets, while Chris Jordan contributed one wicket to the downfall.
20th Five
Welsh Fire
125/8
David Payne
8(9)
Matt Henry
6(5)
Chris Jordan
1-25(20 b)
100b C Jordan to M Henry
1 CHRIS JORDAN HAS DONE IT! Fired in very full, at the fourth peg. Henry stood with an open stance and tried to heave it leg side — not that he had any other option. Alas, he could only cue end it and the ball meandered towards midwicket giving him a consolation run. Brave win by 4 runs.
Payne went for a scoop but miscues it to square leg for just a single. Welsh Fire need six runs on the final ball.