Phil Salt’s Welsh Fire, winners of the season opener against this same opponent, look to complete the double when they host Southern Brave at Sophia Gardens on Monday, August 3, at 6:30 PM local (11:00 PM IST).
Fire have won 3 of their last 4, most recently chasing down 138 with 7 wickets in hand behind a 77-run opening stand between Salt and Joe Root.
Southern Brave have found form of their own, though, winning their last two matches to climb to 2 wins and 3 losses, Marcus Stoinis and Jamie Smith among the driving forces.
WEF vs SOB Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave, 19th Match |
| Series | The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026 |
| Date | Monday, 3 August 2026 |
| Time | 6:30 PM BST local / 5:30 PM GMT / 11:00 PM IST |
| Venue | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Welsh Fire’s home ground. |
| Format | 100-ball innings per side, five sets of 20 balls, no bowler allowed more than two sets. |
| Captains | Phil Salt (Welsh Fire), Chris Jordan (Southern Brave) |
| Form | WEF: 3 wins, 1 loss, most recently a 7-wicket win over Birmingham Phoenix behind a 77-run opening stand between Phil Salt (46) and Joe Root (57). SOB: 2 wins, 3 losses, having won back-to-back matches against Birmingham Phoenix and London Spirit, the latter sealed by contributions of 36 from Jamie Smith and 39 from David Miller. |
| H2H | These sides met in the season opener at the Utilita Bowl, where Phil Salt’s unbeaten 47 steered Welsh Fire to a 6-wicket win after early Southern Brave wickets fell cheaply. Salt’s side will look to complete the double in Cardiff. |
Dream11 Team for WEF vs SOB, 19th Match
Top Picks for WEF vs SOB, 19th Match
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | WEF | Captain / Batter | Captain pick. 57 off 39 in the win over Birmingham Phoenix. At 2x. |
| Marcus Stoinis | SOB | VC / AR | Vice-Captain pick. 39 off 28 in the win over London Spirit. At 1.5x. |
| Phil Salt | WEF | WK-Batter | Welsh Fire’s captain, unbeaten 47 won the reverse fixture back in July. |
| Jamie Smith | SOB | WK-Batter | 36 off 22 in the last match, part of a settled Brave top order. |
| Jofra Archer | SOB | Bowler | Genuine new-ball wicket-taking threat, key to Brave’s recent turnaround. |
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Welsh Fire’s home ground. |
| Pitch Type | A generally good batting surface, with both recent matches at this ground producing totals well past 135. Some early assistance for seamers, with the pitch easing up as the innings progresses. |
| Scoring | Both completed matches at this ground this season have seen totals past 135, suggesting a pitch that favours batters once they are established. This is worth cross-checking against ESPNcricinfo Statsguru before publishing. |
| Pace vs Spin | New-ball pace from Jofra Archer and Luke Wood for Brave, and Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson for Fire, should find some early assistance, with Adil Rashid and Rachin Ravindra’s spin options coming into play through the middle overs. |
| Toss Factor | With both matches at this ground this season producing competitive totals regardless of batting order, expect the toss winner to assess conditions on the day rather than follow a fixed script. |
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Around 28°C (83°F) during the day, cooling into a mild evening for the 6:30 PM start. |
| Sky | Partly cloudy through the day. |
| Rain Chance | Low, roughly 10 percent. A full, uninterrupted match looks likely. |
| Humidity | Moderate, with little expected impact on swing or player stamina. |
| Overall | Good batting and bowling conditions for a clash between two sides both building momentum after mixed starts to the season. |
WEF vs SOB Toss Prediction
With no strong historical bias at this ground this season, expect the toss winner to assess conditions and team balance on the day rather than follow a fixed pattern.
**If Phil Salt (Welsh Fire) wins, **expect him to bat first at home, trusting Joe Root and himself to replicate their recent opening stand before Rachin Ravindra and Marco Jansen push on, backed by Chris Woakes and Lockie Ferguson to defend a total.
**If Chris Jordan (Southern Brave) wins, **expect him to bat first as well, using Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney to attack the new ball before Marcus Stoinis and David Miller push the total on, backed by Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid to defend it.
Injury and Team News
Welsh Fire:
Welsh Fire arrive full of confidence after three wins in four matches, with Phil Salt and Joe Root’s 77-run opening stand the standout feature of their win over Birmingham Phoenix. Captain Salt continues to lead from the front, with Rachin Ravindra and Marco Jansen both settling quickly into the side. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of this fixture.
**Key players: **Phil Salt (c, competition’s all-time leading run-scorer), Joe Root (captain pick, 57 in the last match), Rachin Ravindra (versatile top-order all-rounder), Marco Jansen (left-arm pace and lower-order hitting), Chris Woakes (experienced seam-bowling option), Lockie Ferguson (genuine pace threat).
**Predicted Welsh Fire XI: **Phil Salt (c, wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Root, Rachin Ravindra, Jordan Cox, Asa Tribe, Ben Kellaway, Marco Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Cook.
Southern Brave:
Southern Brave have won back-to-back matches to build real momentum, with Marcus Stoinis and Jamie Smith both key contributors to the recent turnaround. Captain Chris Jordan will hope his side can carry that form into a tough away fixture against a Welsh Fire side that beat them comfortably in the season opener. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of this fixture.
**Key players: **Chris Jordan (c, franchise stalwart, side building momentum), Marcus Stoinis (vice-captain pick, 39 in the last match), Jamie Smith (36 in the last match), David Miller (proven finisher), Jofra Archer (frontline pace, key to the turnaround), Adil Rashid (experienced leg-spin option).
**Predicted Southern Brave XI: **Jamie Smith (wk), Ben McKinney, Marcus Stoinis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Moeen Ali, Nikhil Chaudhary, Chris Jordan (c), Jofra Archer, Luke Wood, Adil Rashid.
