David Warner struck a sparkling, unbeaten 70 off 45 balls — his maiden half-century in The Hundred — as London Spirit held their nerve to beat Welsh Fire by eight runs in a nail-biting contest at Cardiff on Saturday night.
Warner’s fluent knock, laced with eight fours and two sixes, anchored Spirit’s innings to 163/5 in 100 balls. His efforts proved just enough to withstand Jonny Bairstow’s breathtaking 86* off 50 balls that nearly stole the show for Welsh Fire.
It was very, very close at the end. Credit to Jonny and Greeny, they were superb. We tried to entertain the crowd, and I’m glad we got across the line.
Bairstow’s Lone Battle Falls Just Short
Chasing 164, Welsh Fire’s top order collapsed to 55/6 by the halfway mark, losing key batters like Steve Smith and Tom Kohler-Cadmore early. But Bairstow refused to surrender, launching a ferocious counter-attack alongside Chris Green (32*).
The pair put on a record 100-run stand for the seventh wicket, with Bairstow hammering six sixes and plundering 70 runs from deliveries 65 to 95. Needing 17 off the final five balls, the Fire could only muster eight runs, sealing Spirit’s win.
Oval Invincibles Crush Manchester Originals in Men’s Clash
Will Jacks (61 off 26) and Tawanda Muyeye (59 off 28) powered Oval Invincibles to a dominant nine-wicket win, chasing down 129 in just 57 balls. Their 114-run opening stand dismantled the Originals’ bowling attack after Jason Behrendorff (2-16) and Rashid Khan (3-19) had earlier restricted Manchester to 128.
Phil Salt’s 41 was the lone resistance for the Originals, who suffered back-to-back defeats.
London Spirit and Manchester Originals Clinch Nail-biters in Women’s Hundred
Charli Knott’s gritty 47 off 33 balls lifted London Spirit to 124 before Grace Harris (2-15) defended the total in the dying moments. Welsh Fire, led by Sophie Dunkley (36) and Jess Jonassen (29), needed 12 from the last 10 balls but faltered under pressure.
Mooney Leads Originals to Victory
In the day’s other women’s clash, skipper Beth Mooney smashed a 45-ball 70 to guide Manchester Originals to 139/6, which proved just enough as they edged Oval Invincibles by two runs.
