Cricket

The Hundred: Vince and Mills Star as Brave Soar High

August 5, 2024

Source: X/Twitter

Southern Brave beat the Welsh Fire convincingly by 42 runs at the Sophia Gardens, Cardiff in match 17 of The Hundred. Being put to bat first, James Vince’s valiant 50-ball 73 set up a 139-run total in 100 balls. During the chase, the Welsh failed to fire with the bat, with David Willey’s 21 reading as the highest score. Veteran Tymal Mills starred with the ball, scalping a four-for to help the Brave leapfrog to the top of the table in the Hundred.

Match Summary

Toss: Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field first.

Southern Brave Innings: 139/5 in 20 sets

James Vince: 73*(50)
Leus du Plooy: 21 (13)
Key Bowler: Haris Rauf (2/22)

Welsh Fire Innings: 97 in 19 sets

David Willey: 21 (14)
Jonny Bairstow: 16 (17)
Key Bowler: Tymal Mills (4/16)

Key Moments

Power Packed Opening Stand

The Southern Brave got off to a flying start in the Hundred’s latest contest, courtesy of attacking play from James Vince. The skipper led the side from the front, continuing his good form with the bat. Following a 90 in the previous game, the English batter smashed yet another half-century in the game. While Alex Davies struggled with a 14-ball 16, Vince’s good form helped the side to a 55-run opening stand.

James Vince’s stellar show

The captain of the side was one of the primary reasons behind the Brave’s win. Despite losing wickets on regular intervals, the right-handed batter stuck along with his plans and carried the bat with seven fours and three sixes. If not for Vince, the side would see a huge collapse that could’ve given the home side a huge advantage.

Quickfire knocks

Shadowed by Vince’s 73* in the Hundred, Leus du Plooy and Kieron Pollard’s quickfire’s may not get the due attention. But it’s worth mentioning that the duo gathered 38 runs in just 25 balls together, making a huge difference in the game. Du Plooy smacked a four and a couple of sixes in his 13-ball 21 while Pollard hit two biggies for his 12-ball 17. Eventually, the difference between the two teams was 42, just four runs short of what the pair got in the slog overs.

Tymal spearheading Mills

The left-arm pacer lacked form coming into the Hundred, and his position was questioned in the Brave unit. However, coach Stephen Fleeming and the rest of the management stuck with the basics. Chris Jordan and Mills were two special forces that helped the visitors earn the title in the inaugural edition. And the move worked once again for them.

The Hundred: Tymal Mills starred with a four-for against Welsh Fire.

After the powerplay, Craig Overton got the better of Jonny Bairstow, and Tymal Mills enforced crucial wickets in the opposition dugout. He cleaned up opener Luke Wells in the seventh set followed by a dangerous wicket of Tom Kohler-Cadmore on the 62nd ball. The left-arm pacer also delivered in the slog overs, bagging the wicket of Willey and Haris Rauf to hit the final coffin.

The best part of Mills was he scalped wickets across phases of the game in the particular clash of The Hundred. Be it with the new ball, or during the middle overs, or executing the plans at the death, Mills was exceptional.

Danny Briggs the silent whisperer

While the audience might laud James Vince and Tymal Mills for their standout performance in the game, it is worth mentioning what Danny Briggs did with the ball. With the score reading 29/2, Tom Abell and Joe Clarke faced 23 balls together before Briggs cleaned up the former. Both batters were midway through the rebuilding phase when he scalped a couple of wickets to push the Fire’s on the back foot in the Hundred.

The finger spinner also removed Clarke in the space of a solitary ball after getting rid of Abell in a ten-ball spell from one end. Furthermore, Briggs also got the better of Matt Henry at the cue end of the innings, thus playing a pivotal part in complementing the pacers in the Hundred’s latest contest.