England T20 skipper Jos Buttler smashed 57 off 34 balls, but his heroics went in vain as Riley Meredith’s fiery 4-9 and David Payne’s 3-13 inspired Welsh Fire to their first win of the season, defeating Manchester Originals by 25 runs in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Earlier, Buttler shared a personal post on Instagram featuring a picture with his father and the 2019 World Cup trophy, writing: "Rest in peace Dad, thank you for everything."
Buttler’s dismissal at 103/4 sparked a spectacular collapse, with Originals losing six wickets for just nine runs to be bundled out for 112 while chasing 138.
Earlier, despite losing Jonny Bairstow for a duck to Sonny Baker, contributions from Steve Smith (26), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (26), and skipper Tom Abell (22), plus a late burst from Chris Green (19 off 9), helped Fire post 137. Originals’ bowlers Josh Tongue (3-25) and Scott Currie (3-21) kept things tight, but Fire’s bowlers had the final say.
Last-ball six keeps Superchargers in the hunt
In the day’s other men’s clash, Graham Clark smashed a last-ball six to give Northern Superchargers a thrilling three-wicket win over the previously unbeaten Southern Brave.
Chasing 140, Clark (38* off 24) and Mitchell Santner (24 off 16) nearly took the Superchargers home before Jofra Archer’s miserly penultimate set left them needing 10 off the last five balls. After two dots from Tymal Mills, Clark launched the final delivery over deep midwicket to seal the win.
For Brave, James Coles (49 off 36)* and Laurie Evans (53 off 34) helped them recover from 26/3 to post 139/5 after Jacob Duffy (3-26) rattled the top order. Craig Overton (3-29) and Mills (2-38) kept the chase alive, but Clark’s composure proved decisive.
Women’s Hundred: Originals crush Fire, Brave stay perfect
Manchester Originals Women produced a dominant bowling display to dismantle Welsh Fire for 73-9. Mahika Gaur (2-10), Sophie Ecclestone (2-11), and Lauren Filer (3-8) tore through the batting, with only Hayley Matthews (22) offering resistance.
Kathryn Bryce (45) then anchored the chase as Originals cruised to a seven-wicket win with 19 balls to spare.
In the other women’s fixture, Southern Brave maintained their unbeaten streak, bowling out Northern Superchargers for 102. Sophie Devine (3-15) and Georgia Adams (2-20) did the damage before Danni Wyatt-Hodge (43) and Laura Wolvaardt (33)* sealed an eight-wicket victory to keep Brave top of the table.
