The story of the struggle
The opening contest of the campaign was largely a no-contest as the Brave restricted the Fire to 107-7 from his 100 balls in Southampton and then bowled out that total in just 70 balls in a dominant display.
The Hundred: Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire – score summary
Welsh Fire 107-7 from 100 balls – (C Overton 2 wickets off 20 balls), Duckett (40 off 31 balls) Southern Brave 109-1 off 70 balls – Vince (71 no off 41 balls), Davies (26 off 21 balls)
The Fire were relaxed with the bat – Ben Duckett (40 off 31 balls) the only player to pass 11 – as they were crushed by a Brave bowling attack that featured 17-year-old Rehan Ahmed, who conceded just 14 runs from his 15 balls on his Hundred debut. Tickets for The Hundred are selling fast! If you want to get in on the action, head over to thehundred.com/tickets The fire wasn’t helped by the farce left by captain Josh Cobb after a mix-up with Duckett – and another sloppy moment came near the start of Brave’s chase with Ryan Higgins dropping Vince for four at square leg. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player There was carnage in the middle with Ben Duckett and Josh Cobb getting tangled up and the latter running out Vince duly punished the Fire, hitting eight fours as his side – winners over Birmingham Phoenix in last year’s Hundred final – lost just one wicket, that of Alex Davies (26 off 21 balls). The Fire finished second bottom of the table last season and on this evidence, 2022 could also be tough, with the Cardiff-based side without England international Jonny Bairstow for the entire campaign as he manages his workload . England pacers Craig Overton and Chris Jordan took two wickets apiece for the Brave – Overton dispatched 11 wickets from the 20 deliveries he bowled and cleaned up Ollie Pope (10) in the back scoop, while Jordan was the man to dismiss the Fire. – scorer Duckett.
Man of the Match James Vince (71 off 41 balls, 8×4, 1×6)
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Hero of the Match Vince says Brave’s performance was ‘pretty complete’ Kevin Pietersen said: “Vince is a quality player. I think he should have played a lot more international cricket the way he bowls and his set-ups. He plays the back foot punch to the offside so beautifully, he plays his spinners He seems to he has so much time, but then he can hit hard. He has everything and can make hitting look easy.” James Vince said: “I thought the bowlers did a great job of restricting them and then the game plan was very simple. I thought the only way to let them in was to lose early wickets. “There wasn’t a huge amount of pressure on the scoreboard and when they were looking for wickets we picked some boundaries and were in control throughout. It was a pretty complete performance. It’s only one game but it’s nice to get a win first.”
What they said – ‘Brave look, a stunning outfit’
Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain: “The Braves are well led, with a great coach in Mahela Jayawardene. They have pace, mystery spin and some top batsmen. They look a terrific outfit. They are a very good side but, let’s be honest, the “Welsh fire were poor. They need a spark to win.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Brave seaman Chris Jordan was delighted his side kicked off their title defense with victory over the Fire in Southampton Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Welsh Fire’s Ben Duckett reflects on his side’s defeat and what a blow it is to lose the services of Jonny Bairstow
What’s next?
Thursday, August 4, 18:00
Thursday’s game is a London derby between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit at The Kia Oval. Boost Sky Sports The Hundred, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Main Event kicks off at 6pm. before the first ball at 6.30 p.m. You can also watch the match via a free live stream on skysports.com, the Sky Sports app and the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel. Sam Billings’ Invincibles finished fourth last season with four wins and four defeats from eight matches, while Eoin Morgan’s Spirit finished bottom of the table after six defeats, without a result and just a solitary win. Invincibles all-rounder Jason Roy will be hoping that the change of kit brings about a change of fortunes, with the 32-year-old struggling for runs in England’s T20s in recent years during matches against India and South Africa. Sunday 7 August 13:30 Wednesday 10 August 18:00 As for the Fire and Brave, they return to action this weekend and next Wednesday respectively. The Fire welcome the Invincibles to Cardiff on Saturday (2pm kick-off), while the Brave travel to Edgbaston to play Phoenix three days later (6.30pm kick-off) in a repeat of last year’s Hundred final. Watch every match from The Hundred this summer live on Sky Sports. The women’s competition kicks off on Thursday August 11 with defending champions Oval Invincibles taking on Northern Superchargers at The Kia Oval (6.30pm kick-off). Tickets for The Hundred are selling fast! If you want to get in on the action, head over to thehundred.com/tickets
