The Hundred: Superchargers seal last-ball win, Fire blaze past Originals

It was a dramatic night in The Hundred on Wednesday, as two electrifying matches saw Northern Superchargers edge Southern Brave in a final-ball thriller, while Welsh Fire secured their first win of the season with a dominant performance against Manchester Originals in Cardiff.

Northern Superchargers pulled off a stunning heist at the Rose Bowl, with Graham Clark smashing a last-ball six to clinch a nail-biting win over Southern Brave.

Fielding first after winning the toss, Superchargers’ Jacob Duffy made an immediate impact on debut, removing Leus du Plooy, James Vince and Jason Roy in a fiery opening burst to leave the Brave struggling at 26 for 3. A rescue act followed as James Coles and veteran Laurie Evans rebuilt with an 87-run stand, pushing the total to a competitive 139 for 5 despite tight spells from Mitchell Santner and Adil Rashid.

Craig Overton’s triple strike mirrored Duffy’s effort, keeping the Superchargers under pressure. But quickfire 20s from Zak Crawley and Harry Brook kept them in the chase. With Chris Jordan pulling up injured and Jofra Archer delivering a brilliant penultimate set — 2 for 15 overall — it came down to the last five balls from Tymal Mills.

Needing 10 from the final set, Clark missed two balls and needed five from the last. Then, in a moment of magic, he launched a slower delivery over deep midwicket to seal a euphoric win.

Clark, filling in for an injured David Miller, said: “I thought I’d messed it up when I left that wide one and then missed a slot ball, but it’s such a good feeling to get over the line.”

In Cardiff, Welsh Fire lit up their home crowd with a 25-run victory over Manchester Originals, powered by a blistering spell from Riley Meredith and a composed all-round display by Chris Green.

Batting first, Fire overcame early setbacks to post 137 for 8, with Steve Smith top-scoring in the powerplay and Green chipping in with a rapid 19 off 9 balls. Despite incisive bowling from Josh Tongue (3 for 25) and Scott Currie (3 for 21), Fire’s lower order did enough to set a defendable target.

The Originals’ chase unraveled early as Meredith ripped through the top order with 3 wickets in 10 balls, including a spectacular diving catch by Green to dismiss Phil Salt. Jos Buttler fought back with a 28-ball 50, but Green had the final say, removing both Buttler and Lewis Gregory — both caught in the deep by Tom Abell — to finish with 3 for 19. David Payne mopped up the tail with 3 for 14, as the Originals were bundled out 25 runs short.

Green, named Meerkat Match Hero, praised the home crowd: “The energy we had and the support we had tonight got us over the line and we go into a big game in London on Saturday.”

Looking Ahead

The action continues this weekend as London Spirit take on Trent Rockets on Saturday at 10 PM (Kabul Time).

Fans in Afghanistan can watch the match live on Ariana Television. Don’t miss another thrilling night of cricket as the race to the playoffs heats up in The Hundred.