A four-match unbeaten Southern Brave (SOB) will take on Welsh Fire (WEF), who has lost four in a row in the Hundred. Quinton de Kock steered the Southampton-based franchise to a five-wicket win over Northern Superchargers in their last outing. Two points tonight will take them to the top of the points table.
Gary Kirsten’s men face a do-or-die scenario after Birmingham Phoenix hammered them by 93 runs on Monday. Welsh Fire conceded the highest innings total and suffered the heaviest defeat, too, in the tournament. They have just four points from six matches and remain seventh in the standings.
Welsh Fire had beaten Southern Brave by 18 runs in the only meeting between both sides. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett scored half-centuries, while James Neesham picked up three wickets and conceded just five runs in 15 balls. Southern Brave captain James Vince struck 40, and Ross Whiteley and de Kock registered 20-plus scores.
Team News
Liam Dawson is likely to miss the rest of the tournament after the spinner broke his finger in the rain-affected match against Manchester Originals. In the absence of the 31-year-old, Danny Briggs, who grabbed two wickets in the last game, will be the lead spinner in the playing eleven.
All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme is the only concern in the Southern Brave’s batting department. The overseas player, left out of the New Zealand T20 World Cup squad, has managed just 16 runs in five innings. Also, he is yet to pick up a wicket in the tournament. Delray Rawlins is the other all-rounder in the squad.
The Southern Brave pace attack has excelled despite missing Jofra Archer and Craig Overton. The trio Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, and George Garton had combined to grab a victory over London Spirit. They conceded 57 runs from 50 balls and picked up three wickets against Northern Superchargers.
Welsh Fire think tank would be pondering a few changes after suffering four straight defeats. Ian Cockbain top-scored against Birmingham Phoenix, but Tom Banton, Glenn Phillips, and James Neesham all dismissed for single-digit scores again. Matt Critchley could return to the playing eleven, while David Lloyd, Josh Cobb, and Ryan Higgins are other options in the batting department.
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers (previous match)
SOB: Q de Kock (103 pts), D Briggs (54 pts), C Jordan (49 pts), A Davies (35 pts), T Mills (33 pts)
WEF: D Payne (77 pts), I Cockbain (50 pts), J Neesham (35 pts), B Duckett (32 pts), G Phillips (30 pts)
The Hundred Stats
Most Runs: SOB – Q de Kock (123 runs); WEF – B Duckett (219 pts)
Most Wickets: SOB – J Lintott, C Jordan (5 wickets); WEF – J Neesham, Q Ahmad (7 wickets)
Most Sixes: SOB – Q de Kock (5 sixes); WEF – L du Plooy, G Phillips (5 sixes)
Most Fours: SOB – Q de Kock, A Davies (13 fours); WEF – B Duckett (26 fours)
Most Catches: SOB – Q de Kock (5 catches); WEF – G Phillips (4 catches)
Squads
SOB (likely): Q de Kock, P R Stirling, J Vince, A Davies, R Whiteley, C de Grandhomme, C Jordan, G Garton, D Briggs, T Mills, J Lintott
WEF (likely): T Banton, I Cockbain, B Duckett, G Phillips, L du Plooy, J Neesham, G White, Q Ahmad, M J Critchley, M Milnes, D Payne
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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