The Hundred Preview | Welsh Fire and Southern Brave look to stay afloat amid struggling campaigns

08/20/2025

Welsh Fire will host Southern Brave in the 21st match of The Hundred Men’s 2025 campaign in Cardiff on Wednesday. The Welsh are currently placed bottom of the eight-team table with a solitary win from four matches, while the Brave are slightly better off at fourth with eight points from five games.

‌Welsh Fire will have one last chance to save their horrific campaign in The Hundred Men’s 2025 season when they host a struggling Southern Brave at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Wednesday. The Welsh are currently at the bottom of the points table with four points from one win and three losses, and another unfavorable result will push them to the brink of elimination from the eight-team league.

Meanwhile, the Brave had a dream start to the new season with two wins in two matches before being pushed to the mid-table with three straight losses. They are currently placed fourth with eight points from five games, and a loss will put them on level terms with the Fire.

The Fire’s only win this season came against Manchester Originals at the same venue last week, with off-spinner Chris Green shining with an all-round performance. Wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has been their saving grace in the batting department this year with a tally of 178 runs in four matches at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 171.15. Australian pacer Riley Meredith, who also starred in Welsh’s only win, is their top wicket-taker with seven scalps in three games, averaging 9.71 and striking at a frequency of 8.14 balls.

The Brave are also going through a similar plight, with Leus du Plooy being their only batter to have crossed the 100-run mark this season, aggregating 141 runs from five games at an average of 35.25 and a strike rate of 136.89. Left-arm seamer Tymal Mills is on top of the wickets pile for them with eight wickets, while Craig Overton has six wickets to his name.

Form Guide

WF Form: NRLLWL

SB Form: WWLLL

WF vs SB head-to-head in The Hundred

Southern Brave have dominated this fixture in The Hundred with six wins in eight games, whereas Welsh have won only once, with last year’s game being abandoned without a result. The home side have been winless against the Brave after their first meeting in the inaugural year of the tournament in 2021.

WF 1 - 6 SB

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at Sophia Gardens is expected to be flat, with batters expected to get full value for their shots. The pitch tends to slow down in the second half of the match, with the spinners coming into play. As a result, the two matches held at this venue have been won by teams batting first.

It will be a cool and clear evening in Cardiff, with temperatures expected to be around 14 degrees. The viewers will get uninterrupted action, with chances of rain being remote and placed at 2%.

Team News

Both Welsh Fire and Southern Brave are expected to field the same eleven despite finishing on the losing side in their respective last games.

WF Expected XI

Stephen Eskinazi, Steven Smith, Jonny Bairstow (c&wk), Luke Wells, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Paul Walter, Chris Green, Saif Zaib, David Payne, Matt Henry, Ajeet Singh Dale

SB Expected XI

Leus du Plooy, James Vince (c), Jason Roy, Laurie Evans (wk), James Coles, Michael Bracewell, Hilton Cartwright, Jordan Thompson, Craig Overton, Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills.

Broadcasting Platforms

The Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave match in The Hundred will be digitally streamed on the FanCode and SonyLiv apps and websites in India from 7:30 PM IST on Wednesday. The live telecast of the match will also be available on the Sony Sports Network.