Men's Hundred 2026, WF-M vs LS-M 31st Match Match Report, August 12, 2026

Welsh Fire somehow fluffed their lines at the death, having needed 17 off the final 15 balls with seven wickets in hand, as London Spirit claimed a consolation win at Sophia Gardens.

Fire’s chances of qualification were only academic heading into their final group match after four tight wins and three heavy defeats, which left their Net Run Rate in such a state that only a record-breaking margin of victory would have been enough for them to win. By choosing to bowl first at the toss, they effectively resigned themselves to missing out on qualification.

The decision paid off initially, Chris Woakes showing his enduring brilliance up front in shackling the powerful pairing of Jonny Bairstow and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, allowing Lockie Ferguson to benefit from the pressure applied by picking up the left-hander one ball after he had him dropped.

34 for 1 from the powerplay with Bairstow on 22 from 11, was an inconclusive start. 25 balls later and Spirit were 59 for 3, with the Fire in the ascendancy: Woakes got rid of Bairstow for 34 from 19 and Marco Jansen bowled ten dot balls in his first 15.

Liam Livingstone and Dewald Brevis, Spirit’s leading run-scorers in the tournament with 233 and 212 respectively, both went cheaply, and James Coles, belatedly growing into the tournament, flickered for 29 until all 6ft 8in of Jansen leapt at long-on to flick the ball back in for Tom Kohler-Cadmore to complete the catch.

Jamie Overton applied the long handle but a score of 131 for 8 felt light, with both Woakes and Jansen conceding less than a run a ball.

When Fire batted, they lost Matt Short immediately but Phil Salt and Joe Root cruised along, the feeling that wickets in the bank chasing a middling target would be enough.

At 90 for 2 off 69 balls, with Jordan Cox flexing his muscles, that thinking seemed sound but the glue disappeared with Root (31 from 31) and Cox (44 from 28).

Overton conceded a single run off the 18th over to leave 16 required off 10, and when Cox and Kohler-Cadmore both fell to consecutive balls from Adam Milne, the Fire were suddenly up against it.

Rachin Ravindra chipped a return catch to David Willey to leave 14 needed off three, and Woakes promptly hit his first ball over long-off for six. But he could only manage a single off his second, and Jansen picked out Overton on the deep midwicket boundary off the last, having briefly thought he had stuck it well enough to share the points.

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