Southern Brave secured their place in The Hundred men’s eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday after rain intervened at Utilita Bowl against Welsh Fire.
Brave came into the match knowing that a point would guarantee their presence in Saturday’s showdown but at the halfway stage, with 181 posted by already-eliminated Fire, they would have feared losing control of their destiny.
Two quick wickets – Alex Davies for a duck and then James Vince for 19 – further set Brave back. But following Vince’s dismissal, with rain falling steadily, the umpires took the players off.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
David Willey takes a wicket after just two balls for Welsh Fire against Southern Brave
The rain never abated and with just 16 balls having been bowled of Brave’s innings – a minimum of 25 balls are required to deliver a result – the game was duly abandoned.
It was a bitter pill for Fire to swallow. With the bat they were irrepressible, with Luke Wells and Glenn Phillips especially destructive, sharing a 76-run partnership from just 30 balls to propel Fire to their highest-ever score in the tournament.
Wells registered just his second fifty in the competition while Phillips clubbed five sixes – including one hit over square-leg against Jofra Archer that sailed 102 metres – to make 48 from just 19 balls.
For Brave, only Akeal Hosein escaped punishment, the West Indian left-armer conceding just 21 from his 20-ball quota.
Ultimately, it was immaterial. Brave are through to face either Oval Invincibles, Northern Superchargers or Birmingham Phoenix, with the latter’s game against Manchester Originals on Thursday determining the final placings at the top.
Player of the match- James Vince
“Bowling first, things probably got away from us a bit. We were sloppy. Some good players got going and we weren’t able to shut them down, so it was always going to be a tough ask to chase that down,” said Vince.
“We had a few messages saying the weather might be on its way so we had a few discussions about how to approach those first 25 balls; thankfully the rain came just in time.
“On the whole, across the tournament, the bowling group gets a lot of credit. They’re quality, experienced bowlers. Our batting goes under the radar a bit. We’d like a few more guys in form, but on the whole we’ve been reasonably consistent.”
What’s next?
The Hundred continues on Thursday August 15 with a clash between Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Originals.
You can watch the women’s match on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 2.30pm, first ball at 3pm, and the men’s match on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.