Image: Welsh Fire secured a 25-run victory over Manchester Originals / © ESPNCricinfo
The match where Welsh Fire finally broke their winless streak in the 2025 Hundred Men’s Competition was a thrilling encounter against Manchester Originals at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on August 13, 2025. Welsh Fire, who had lost their first two games, posted a competitive 137 for 8 in their 100 balls and then defended it brilliantly to win by 25 runs. Manchester Originals, chasing 138, crumbled to 112 all out in just 97 balls. The star of the show was Chris Green from Welsh Fire, who earned the Player of the Match award with a quickfire 19 runs off 9 balls, 3 wickets for 19 runs, and two crucial catches.
Manchester Originals captain Phil Salt opted to field first, hoping to restrict Fire on a pitch that seemed to offer something for the bowlers early on. Fire’s openers, Steven Smith and Jonny Bairstow, walked out with high expectations. Smith, the experienced Australian, looked in good touch right away, but Bairstow had a nightmare start. He faced just three balls from Sonny Baker and edged one straight to Lewis Gregory at slip for a duck. That early wicket set a cautious tone, with Fire at 1 for 1 after five balls.
Smith tried to steady things with Luke Wells. Smith smashed a boundary off Baker and then a six off Josh Tongue to get the scoreboard moving. He raced to 26 off 22 balls, including four fours and one six, showing his class with precise drives and pulls. But Tongue got his revenge in the 30th ball, inducing an edge from Smith that flew to keeper Jos Buttler. The fire was 32 for 2, and the pressure was building. Wells, who had hit two fours in his 13 off 12, joined the procession soon after. He miscued a pull off Scott Currie and was caught by Gregory, leaving Fire at 44 for 3 after 39 balls.
Captain Tom Abell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore then rebuilt the innings. Abell played sensibly, rotating the strike, while Kohler-Cadmore went on the attack. Kohler-Cadmore smashed two sixes off Tom Hartley, one a massive pull over midwicket, and added two fours to reach 26 off 16 balls. Their partnership of 43 runs in 27 balls gave Fire some momentum, pushing them to 87 for 4 by the 66th ball. But Hartley broke through, getting Kohler-Cadmore caught by Noor Ahmad at deep midwicket.
Abell continued to anchor, reaching 22 off 17 with two fours, but he fell to Tongue in the 77th ball, edging behind to Buttler. The Fire were now 97 for 5, and it looked like they might struggle to reach 120. Saif Zaib came in and played a handy cameo of 15 off 11, with two fours, but Currie dismissed him caught behind in the 83rd ball. Chris Green then provided the late fireworks. The Australian all-rounder smashed a four and two sixes in his 19 off 9, including a huge one off Tongue. He put on 25 runs quickly with Paul Walter, but Tongue struck again in the 95th ball, getting Green caught by Ben McKinney.
Walter managed just 3 off 6 before Currie bowled him in the 97th ball, and Fire finished at 137 for 8. David Payne was not out on 2 off 2, and Riley Meredith was on 0 off 2. Extras contributed 11 runs, with 6 wides, 4 leg-byes, and 1 bye. The powerplay (first 25 balls) yielded 28 runs for 1 wicket, and Fire reached 50 in 43 balls and 100 in 79 balls. There was a review in the 55th ball when Kohler-Cadmore challenged a wicket decision, but it was upheld.
Originals’ bowling was led by Josh Tongue and Scott Currie, both taking 3 wickets. Tongue conceded 25 runs in 20 balls, striking at key moments with his pace. Currie was economical, giving away 21 in 20 balls, and his variations troubled the batters. Sonny Baker took 1 for 29 in 20, while Hartley grabbed 1 for 23 in 15. Lewis Gregory and Noor Ahmad went wicketless but kept things tight, with Gregory’s 15 balls costing 16 and Noor’s 10 balls 18.
After the innings break, Manchester Originals needed 138 to win, which seemed achievable with their strong batting lineup featuring Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, and Heinrich Klaasen. But Welsh Fire’s bowlers had other plans, especially their pace attack.
The Originals’ chase started shakily. Salt, the skipper, faced Riley Meredith and edged one to Chris Green at slip for 3 off 4 in the 13th ball. Two balls later, Ben McKinney, who had hit a four in his 10 off 10, also fell to Meredith, caught by Steven Smith. Originals were 14 for 2 after 15 balls. Mark Chapman came in but lasted just five balls for a duck, edging Meredith to Kohler-Cadmore.
At 14 for 3 after 20 balls, Originals were in deep trouble. Buttler and Klaasen tried to rebuild. Buttler, England’s white-ball star, played aggressively from the start. He smashed six fours and two sixes in his 57 off 34, including an elegant cover drive off Josh Hull and a pulled six off Chris Green. Klaasen supported with 11 off 12, hitting one four, and their 42-run stand in 28 balls took Originals to 56 for 4 by the 48th ball when Klaasen holed out to Luke Wells off Green.
Buttler continued his assault, reaching his fifty off 28 balls with a boundary. He and Lewis Gregory added 47 runs in 33 balls, pushing Originals to 103 for 5 by the 81st ball. Gregory hit three fours in his 21 off 19, playing some crisp shots square of the wicket. But Green struck twice in quick succession: first dismissing Buttler caught by Abell in the 81st ball, then getting Gregory caught by the same fielder four balls later.
The collapse was on. Tom Hartley managed 1 off 3 before edging David Payne to Paul Walter in the 88th ball. Scott Currie returned the ball to Payne for 1 off 2 in the 90th. Noor Ahmad hit 2 off 3 but was caught by Green off Payne in the 93rd. Josh Tongue was not out on 2 off 2, but Sonny Baker was bowled by Meredith for 1 off 3 in the 97th ball, sealing the innings at 112.
Originals’ powerplay yielded just 25 for 3, and they reached 50 in 41 balls and 100 in 78 balls. Extras were only 3 wides. Fire’s bowling was outstanding. Meredith was the pick with 4 for 9 in 17 balls, his pace and bounce dismantling the top order. Green took 3 for 19 in 20, varying his spin cleverly. Payne grabbed 3 for 14 in 20, cleaning up the tail. Josh Hull went for 38 in 20 without a wicket, Paul Walter 24 in 15, and Saif Zaib 8 in 5, but the pressure they built was key.
Welsh Fire’s batting was patchy, relying on cameos rather than big scores, but their total proved defendable thanks to tight bowling. Originals’ chase faltered early, and despite Buttler’s heroics, they couldn’t recover from the top-order collapse. The pitch assisted seamers, with 11 wickets falling to pace compared to 4 to spin. Looking broader, this win boosted Fire’s net run rate to -0.051, while Originals’ dipped to -1.078.
For the TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game, the spotlight fell on Josh Tongue’s dismissal of Steven Smith during the Welsh Fire (Men) innings, which ended at 137/8 after 100 balls. Smith, a key batsman, scored a brisk 26 runs off 22 balls, including four boundaries and a six, at a strike rate of 118.18. His innings was cut short in the 30th ball when Tongue, bowling with precision, induced a catch taken by Jos Buttler.
This pivotal wicket, the second of the innings, left Welsh Fire at 32/2, disrupting their momentum early in the game. Tongue was the standout bowler, claiming 3 wickets for 25 runs in his 20 balls, with a remarkable runs-per-ball rate of 1.25. His ability to bowl 10 dot balls showcased his control, making Smith’s dismissal a game-changing moment.
Being the TCNI’s Hero of the Day, Riley Meredith delivered a match-defining performance for his team against Manchester Originals. The fast bowler was exceptional, finishing with remarkable figures of 4 wickets for just 9 runs in his 17 balls. His fiery spell turned the game on its head, as he dismantled the opposition’s top order early on.
Meredith struck in his very first over, removing the dangerous Phil Salt for just 3 runs, and followed it up by dismissing Ben McKinney and Mark Chapman cheaply, leaving Manchester Originals reeling at 14 for 3 after 20 balls. His final scalp was Sonny Baker, sealing the collapse of the batting side. Meredith’s ability to bowl 12 dot balls while maintaining an incredible runs-per-ball rate of 0.52 showcased his control and aggression.