Vince imperious again as Brave douse Fire
Brave skipper James Vince has scored 814 runs in 29 innings in The Hundred
- Published
The Hundred men's competition, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Southern Brave 139-5 (100 balls): Vince 73* (50); Rauf 2-22
Welsh Fire 97 (95 balls): Willey 21 (14); Mills 4-16
Brave won by 42 runs
James Vince struck a peerless unbeaten 73 and Tymal Mills took a skilful 4-16 as Southern Brave cruised to a 42-run victory over Welsh Fire in The Hundred men's competition.
Brave skipper Vince delivered another stylish masterclass with an innings which combined elegant strokeplay and powerful hitting to help Brave reach 139-5 after being asked to bat first on an awkward pitch.
Leus du Plooy (21) and Kieron Pollard (17) hoisted a couple of sixes each to support Vince as Haris Rauf finished with 2-22 for Fire.
The hosts' reply never really got going as they struggled to find the boundary in the face of a Brave bowling attack expertly managed by Vince, as the visitors diligently applied pressure from the outset.
Jonny Bairstow briefly flickered for Fire before he ramped Craig Overton and was superbly caught by Mills for 16.
Spinner Danny Briggs exploited the scoreboard pressure and bowled intelligently as he finished with 3-14 but experienced left-arm quick Mills finished the pick of the attack.
First ball duck and big-hitting Vince - The Hundred plays of the day
What else do you need to know?
Brave's victory left them two points clear of Oval Invincibles at the top of the standings on eight points, having played a match more. Fire remain in fifth spot on four points.
Mills claimed a four-wicket haul against Welsh Fire for the second season in succession, having taken 4-13 last year. Briggs' 3-14 was his best figures in The Hundred to date.
Vince's half-century was his seventh in the history of The Hundred. He has 258 runs in this season's tournament at an average of 86.00.
Brave fast bowler Jofra Archer was once again rested under instructions from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
'Tricky to pick a side' - what they said
Hero of the match James Vince of Southern Brave: "Nice to get the win. Batting first we found it a bit tricky but you never quite know until both sides have batted on it. I thought the way we bowled proved it was reasonably tough out there.
"Bowling wise we've dovetailed really well and I feel like we are in nice rhythm. It's tricky to pick a side. It will depend on conditions which is the nature of tournaments like this. There's some guys who haven't played who could easily be playing. A good decision to have."
Brave fast bowler Chris Jordan: "The bowling attack is balanced and has enough variety to come in at any phase of the game. He [Vince] is a captain who doesn't like too many preconceived ideas.
"He likes to get a feel and rhythm for the game, and make in-game decisions and adjustments. We all know how he likes to operate and follow suit. The role clarity is there and you can see with the execution as well."
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What is happening on Tuesday?
There are four matches in The Hundred on Tuesday.
Manchester Originals host Oval Invincibles (women's at 11:30 BST, men's at 15:00) at Old Trafford while Birmingham Phoenix (women at 15:00 and men at 18:30) welcome Northern Superchargers to Edgbaston.
You can follow commentary on 麻豆社 Radio 5 Sports Extra, 麻豆社 Sounds and the 麻豆社 Sport website and app.
