Welsh Fire maintained their winning momentum in The Hundred men’s competition with a 15-run victory over MI London at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The home team accumulated 167-5 batting first, with New Zealand international Rachin Ravindra delivering a standout performance that nearly resulted in a tournament record.
Ravindra struck 98 from just 44 balls, showcasing aggressive cricket with seven sixes. He featured in a 116-run partnership with Joe Root, who contributed a supporting 29 from 26 balls after Welsh Fire lost their opening batsmen early and found themselves in a precarious position at 25-2 following the powerplay. Ravindra’s half-century came from only 22 balls, and his aggressive approach had him on track to surpass Harry Brook’s existing fastest century record of 41 balls set in 2023, though he ultimately fell short of completing the century when starved of strike in the final overs.
MI London’s chase fell short at 152-6 despite James Vince’s 66 from 38 balls. Ravindra proved impactful with the ball as well, claiming the important wicket of Vince with a diving catch off his own bowling when the chase remained competitive. Lockie Ferguson spearheaded Welsh Fire’s bowling attack with figures of 4-27, removing key middle-order batsmen including Jason Roy, Sam Curran, and Nicholas Pooran to seal the victory.
In the day’s other men’s match at Headingley, Sunrisers Leeds secured their first win of the tournament by defeating Southern Brave by five runs. Mitchell Marsh led Leeds’ batting with 69 from 34 balls as they posted 187-5. Southern Brave’s reply, built on contributions from Ben McKinney and Tristan Stubbs, reached 182-5 but fell short in a closely contested encounter.
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