Trent Rockets secured a convincing victory over Welsh Fire, handing the hosts their inaugural defeat of the season in The Hundred. The match, staged at Cardiff's historic Sophia Gardens, saw the Rockets comfortably chase down a modest target of 123 runs, finishing with 28 balls to spare.
Ben Duckett anchored the chase, remaining unbeaten on 52, while Finn Allen contributed a quick‑fire 33, propelling Trent to a two‑win tally from three games and nudging them up to second place in the standings. The innings began shakily for the Rockets, who lost early wickets and struggled to find rhythm.
However, Fire’s bowlers were unable to maintain discipline, leaking four wides in the opening powerplay and a total of seven extras throughout their spell. Duckett, who opened the chase, managed only a single boundary in his first four deliveries, yet he and Allen steadied the ship, reaching 42‑0 after 25 balls without any real alarm.
Allen’s aggressive intent soon paid dividends. He ripped 17 runs off Sam Cook’s first five balls, accelerating the run rate and pushing the score to 75 before his wicket fell.
The New Zealand‑born all‑rounder was dismissed leg‑before‑wicket to fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra for 33, but his burst had already set the tone for the innings. Duckett, now joined by Tom Banton, continued to rotate the strike and find boundaries, eventually crossing the half‑century mark in just 42 balls – his second fifty in as many matches – and steering the Rockets to a comfortable win. Welsh Fire, who elected to bat first, stumbled early. Their powerplay concluded at 26‑2, having lost Phil Salt and England captain Joe Root for five runs each to the incisive seam of Matt Henry, who finished with figures of 2‑16.
The Fire’s middle order attempted to rebuild, but after reaching 59‑2 at the halfway point, they suffered a mini‑collapse, losing three wickets in 14 balls, including the well‑set Matt Short, who had been cruising at 36 from 26 deliveries. Jordan Cox tried to revive the innings by hammering three consecutive sixes off Mitchell Santner’s left‑arm spin, but his momentum was halted when he attempted a fourth six and was spectacularly caught on the cover boundary by a diving Allen. The Fire slumped to 122‑7, with lower‑order contributions from Asa Tribe (13 not out) and Chris Woakes (4 not out) failing to make any impact against the disciplined bowling of Mohammad Amir and Lewis Gregory in the final overs. The modest total proved far too low for the Rockets, who chased it down with ease, securing their second win from three matches and moving up the league table.
After the game, Duckett praised the bowlers, saying, “The bowlers were superb. We talked about adapting to the pitch early, and they executed that plan perfectly. The four wides really helped, but I struggled to find my rhythm for a while. Finn played beautifully and Banton took the pressure off me.” In a separate fixture, twenty‑year‑old Lhuan‑dre Pretorius lit up the competition for London Spirit, smashing 64 runs from just 28 balls to guide his side to a seven‑wicket win over MI London in a fiercely contested London derby.
Chasing 165, Pretorius and Jonny Bairstow surged out of the blocks, with Pretorius dispatching a Trent Boult delivery 106 metres over mid‑wicket. The pair raced to 50 in just 18 balls, ending the powerplay at 61‑0 and effectively dismantling the opposition’s chase. Bairstow was dismissed for 23 off 12 balls, but Pretorius kept the momentum alive, reaching his first Hundred half‑century in just 23 balls and striking seven boundaries.
He fell to Boult at 101 runs, just before the halfway mark of the Spirit’s innings, but the damage was already done. Dewald Brevis added a rapid 37 not out from 18 balls, and the Spirit clinched the victory with 11 balls to spare, earning their first win of the season and lifting them out of the bottom of the table.
MI London’s innings had been steadier at the start. Will Jacks (65) and James Vince (26) negotiated a disciplined opening spell from David Willey (0‑22) and Adam Milne (0‑21), reaching 28‑0 at the close of the powerplay.
Their patience paid off as they accelerated against Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye, with Jacks cruising to his maiden Hundred half‑century from 30 balls. However, the tide turned when Vince fell to James Coles for 26 and Jamie Overton (3‑30) removed both Jacks and newcomer Nicholas Pooran in quick succession.
Jacks departed on 65 from 44 balls, becoming the highest run‑scorer in the history of the men’s Hundred competition. Overton continued the Spirit’s resurgence, dismissing Jason Roy (caught behind on review) and prompting the veteran to replace captain Sam Curran, who sat out due to a precautionary muscle issue. Late aggression from Sherfane Rutherford pushed MI London past the 160‑run mark, but his 41 off 19 balls could not offset Pretorius’s on‑fire display. The South African’s power hitting proved decisive, and his performance earned him the Meerkat Match Hero accolade on Sky Sports Cricket.
Pretorius reflected on his innings, saying, “I’m glad we got over the line. It feels great to start the season with a win and I hope we can keep the momentum.
I spent extra time at training working with DK (batting coach Dinesh Karthik) on that short‑fine to fine‑leg shot, and it paid off – even though it got me out, that’s part of the game. I’m happy to have contributed to the team’s victory.” Looking ahead, Southern Brave will host Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday, with the women's match slated for 3 pm and the men’s game following at 6:30 pm, both broadcast live on Sky Sports. Fans can also stream The Hundred and other sporting action on the NOW platform, ensuring continuous access to the competition’s thrills and narratives.