Southern Brave pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win over Manchester Originals in a tense finish at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in The Hundred Men’s Competition, keeping their nerve in a match that went down to the final two deliveries.

This was the second men’s match of the 2025 season.

Chasing a target of 132, Brave appeared in trouble before a late, heroic stand swung the game in their favor. Craig Overton (18 not out off 8) and Tymal Mills (8 off 4) rallied the chase with a 25-run partnership that restored hope.

The final blow came from Reece Topley, who smashed a boundary off the penultimate ball to take the Brave home by one wicket, with just one ball remaining.

The match had swung back and forth. Manchester Originals, powered by a commanding 60 from Phil Salt, looked in control. Salt’s innings also elevated him to become the all-time leading run-scorer in the men’s Hundred competition.

But Tymal Mills, awarded Player of the Match, delivered an outstanding performance with both ball and bat. He claimed three key wickets—including those of Salt, Jos Buttler, and Heinrich Klaasen—finishing with figures of 3 for 22 and setting the foundation for the southern side’s comeback.

After the match, Mills credited the team’s resilience: “We managed to somehow get ourselves in a position where it was in our hands, one hit away… That was a brilliant knock from Craig. We just wanted to take it as deep as we could and Toppers finished it off brilliantly.”

Manchester Originals had the game in their grip until the late surge. Scott Currie had earlier dismantled the Brave’s top order with figures of 4 for 28, reinforcing a reputation as one to watch this season.

Former England bowler James Anderson made his competition debut, though his spell of 0 for 36 wasn’t enough to stop the Brave’s late momentum.

In the league standings, Oval Invincibles remain at the top after their opening victory, with Southern Brave joining them on four points following this win.

The Hundred continues building momentum, with both sides eager to capitalize on this early result. The competition has already shown it can serve up both explosive talent and edge-of-the-seat finishes.

For cricket fans across Afghanistan, matches are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television. Tune in tonight, Thursday August 7, at 9.30 pm Kabul time to watch Northern Superchargers take on Welsh Fire at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

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