Welsh Fire (WEF) continued their impressive run in The Hundred Men’s 2026 with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Southern Brave (SOB) at Sophia Gardens. After producing a disciplined bowling display to restrict the visitors to a below-par total, Fire chased down the target with ease thanks to an unbeaten half-century from skipper Matt Short.

One of the biggest highlights of the contest came right at the start of Southern Brave’s innings when England wicketkeeper Phil Salt produced a spectacular catch behind the stumps to send Jamie Smith back to the pavilion. The athletic effort immediately set the tone for Welsh Fire’s dominant outing.

Phil Salt grabs a sensational one-handed catch to dismiss Jamie Smith

The moment arrived on just the seventh ball of the innings as Sam Cook banged the ball in short and followed Smith, leaving the batter cramped for room while attempting an aggressive pull across the line. The extra bounce caught Smith by surprise, with the ball taking the shoulder of the bat and flying behind the wicket. Although slightly wrong-footed initially, Salt reacted brilliantly, moving swiftly to his right before leaping into the air to complete a stunning one-handed catch.

The outstanding effort ended Smith’s stay at the crease for a three-ball duck and handed Cook an early breakthrough. Salt’s sharp reflexes behind the stumps drew immediate appreciation from teammates and fans alike, with the catch quickly becoming one of the standout moments of the match.

Here’s the video:

Seeing double 👀

Chris Woakes and Sam Cook strike early against Southern Brave #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/BqgTjR5TCm

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 3, 2026

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Welsh Fire outclass Southern Brave to strengthen playoff push

After opting to bowl first, Welsh Fire made the perfect start as Chris Woakes and Cook reduced Southern Brave to 2/2 inside the opening seven deliveries. Cook struck again later to remove Nikhil Chaudhary, while Rachin Ravindra dismissed both Tristan Stubbs and Moeen Ali in quick succession to leave the Brave in deep trouble. Marcus Stoinis fought back with a well-made 55, but lacked sustained support as Cook returned exceptional figures of 3/14. David Miller added a couple of late boundaries before Southern Brave finished with 115/8, their lowest-ever total in The Hundred.

In reply, Jofra Archer gave Southern Brave an early breakthrough by dismissing Salt with the very first ball of the chase. However, Matt Short anchored the innings superbly with an unbeaten 60, while Joe Root and Tom Kohler-Cadmore made valuable contributions to guide Welsh Fire to the target with six wickets in hand. The victory marked Welsh Fire’s fourth win in five matches, keeping them firmly in the race for a place at the top of The Hundred Men’s 2026 standings.

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