The Hundred: Superchargers fight back to restrict Fire to 143-9

BBC News

07-08-2025

Update:
Date: 95 balls
Title: Superchargers 5-0
Content: Target 144
David Payne is getting the ball to swing around.
Dawid Malan goes for a couple of hefty swings and misses before picking up his side's first boundary of the day.
Update:
Date: 99 balls
Title: Superchargers 0-0
Content: Target 144
David Payne opens the bowling for Welsh Fire.
Zak Crawley is fortunate not to chop on, with the ball twice bouncing dangerously close to his stumps.
Update:
Date: 20:10 BST
Title: Post
Content: But before we get to Harry Brook, Welsh Fire will have to deal with Northern Superchargers' top three of Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan and Michael Pepper.
Superchargers need 144 to win after restricting Welsh Fire to 143-9.
Update:
Date: 20:09 BST
Title: Post
Content: Harry Brook scored a century against Welsh Fire in 2023.
Will he be among the runs again today?
Update:
Date: 20:06 BST
Title: Post
Content: Thanks Sam.
It all fell away for Welsh Fire.
Northern Superchargers will be confident of not only chasing 144 but also giving their net run rate a healthy boost.
Update:
Date: 20:05 BST
Title: Superchargers need 144 to win
Content: Fire 143-9
Sam DruryBBC Sport cricket writer
After Steve Smith and Jonny Bairstow took Welsh Fire to 62-0, I don't think anyone thought Northern Superchargers would be chasing as few as 144 to win this one.
But their bowlers battled back well. Two wickets for Adil Rashid, Matthew Potts and Imad Wasim means the home side are favourites to get the win.
Elizabeth Botcherby is here to take you through it.
Update:
Date: 20:03 BST
Title: 'I'm looking forward to getting out in the field'
Content: Welsh Fire opening batter Steve Smith speaking on Sky Sports: "It has been good fun. I was feeling pretty good and had a nice partnership with Jonny [Bairstow]. But we lost a few wickets on the bounce. There was some hold in the wicket at times so let's see how we go."
"We will be trying to bowl wicket-taking deliveries and get some early wickets and then some cutters through the middle in good hard areas. Hopefully not too many boundaries. I am looking forward to fielding."
On being in Cardiff with the team: "It has been good. We went up into the mountains for some team bonding. It is a good bunch of guys so hopefully we have a good second half."
Update:
Date: 100 balls
Title: Fire 143-9
Content: Four from the last ball, smashed back down the ground by Riley Meredith.
That will help Welsh Fire but just seven runs of the last five from Matthew Potts and Northern Superchargers will be happy at the halfway stage.
Potts started the fightback with by dismissing Steve Smith and Luke Wells in consecutive balls.
Update:
Date: 95 balls
Title: Fire 136-9
Content: Numbers 10 and 11 for Welsh Fire, Riley Meredith and Josh Hull manage to at least take the visitors into the last five ball of the innings.
But given the start Jonny Bairstow and Steve Smith gave Fire, this looks like a very disappointing total.
Credit to Northern Superchargers for the way they've fought back.
Update:
Date: 19:53 BST
Title: Post
Content: Kieran ParmleyCricviz analyst
Teams batting first at Headingley in the men's Hundred:
Update:
Date: 19:53 BST
Title: Post
Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Chris Green got a bit lost walking off there. He was a bit angry with himself and needed a moment.
Update:
Date: 92 balls
Title: WICKET
Content: Green c Lawrence b Amir 3 (Fire 133-9)
Chris Green is the next to go.
It sounded like he'd made decent contact with that one off Mohammad Amir but it was hit into the wind and they're big boundaries at Headingley.
That means rather than six, it's a straightforward catch for Dan Lawrence at cow corner.
Update:
Date: 19:51 BST
Title: Post
Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
That is a free hit, I don't mind that. If he got any bat on that it would have been worth it.
He just swung himself off his feet, Payne.
Update:
Date: 90 balls
Title: WICKET
Content: Payne b Wasim 0 (Fire 133-8)
Bowled 'im!
It's always left-arm darts from Imad Wasim but this one is really fired in by the Welsh-born Pakistan international.
David Payne tries to hammer it leg side but gets nowhere near it and the ball makes a mess of the stumps.
Update:
Date: 19:49 BST
Title: Post
Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
A great catch from Harry Brook. The best of the tournament so far. He covered quite a lot of ground and takes the catch over his shoulder.
He took a blinder last year at Headingley too.
Update:
Date: 88 balls
Title: WICKET
Content: Zaib c Brook b Wasim 13 (Fire 132-7)
Superb catch from Harry Brook.
Saif Zaib tries to muscle Imad Wasim through the off side but the ball hangs in the air and Brook is able to run from a straight mid-wicket position before diving to take the catch.
Fantastic grab.
Update:
Date: 85 balls
Title: Fire 127-6
Content: Adil Rashid is done for the night - with the ball at least - and finishes with figures of 2-25 from his 20 balls.
Typically canny stuff from the England leg-spinner.
Update:
Date: 19:46 BST
Title: Post
Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Paul Walter is a big hitter but with two balls left from Rashid, you'd thought he would just see it out.
Crawley was running in and out, all about.
Update:
Date: 84 balls
Title: WICKET
Content: Walter c Crawley b Rashid 15 (Fire 125-6)
Swirling catch taken by Zak Crawley as the ball comes down from a great height!
It is dragged down by Adil Rashid and Paul Walter tries to wallop it off the back foot, back over the bowler's head.
The ball goes a long way up and is buffeted around by the wind on its way down but Crawley just about manages to get underneath it and hold on.
Update:
Date: 19:42 BST
Title: How's stat?!
Content: Kieran ParmleyCricviz analyst
Matthew Potts is the most experienced death bowler at Headingley in the Hundred, having bowled 13 sets in the last 25 balls of the innings coming into this game.
His economy of 9.15 per set at the death at Headingley is just below the average set economy of 9.26 in the final 25 balls here.