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Matt Short returned from injury to hit an unbeaten 60 from 41 balls and take 2-13 as Welsh Fire Men beat Southern Brave by six wickets at Sophia Gardens in Match 19 of The Hundred Men’s 2026. Chris Woakes and Sam Cook — 3-14 — reduced Brave to 2 for 2 inside seven balls, with Stoinis’ fighting 55 the only resistance as Brave posted their lowest-ever Hundred total of 115 for 8.
Marcus Stoinis fought magnificently for his 55 in conditions that made batting look like an ordeal. He was the one Brave batter who looked capable of making the surface irrelevant. Then Sam Cook returned for his final set, and Stoinis hit it straight to Lockie Ferguson at deep square leg. The innings, already in pieces, closed at 115 for 8 — Brave’s lowest-ever total in The Hundred. Matt Short chased it down with an unbeaten 60 and Welsh Fire took four wins from five.
Cardiff, Wales: The pitch at Sophia Gardens on Monday evening was what one commentator described as “prodigious” — swing, seam, bounce, the full Cardiff menu — and Welsh Fire chose to field first because they had Chris Woakes and Sam Cook and they knew exactly what both would do with it. What followed in the first half of the match was the most uncomfortable passage of batting Southern Brave have endured in The Hundred’s six-year history.
Woakes and Cook Open the Wounds
Welsh Fire’s experienced seam attack was immediately into the action. Woakes and Cook reduced the Brave to 2 for 2 off just seven balls — Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney both edging behind to Phil Salt keeping wicket, the ball moving prodigiously under the Cardiff lights. The Brave’s top order had barely laid bat on ball before two of their key batters were walking back.
Cook then had Nikhil Chaudhary after the batter had briefly steadied alongside Stoinis, their partnership taking Brave to an underwhelming 45 for 3 at the halfway stage. Rachin Ravindra then snared Tristan Stubbs and Moeen Ali in successive balls, the latter caught by Joe Root off a skier. Cook finished 3 for 14 — the best return by a Welsh Fire bowler in the 2026 competition.
Stoinis Alone, Then Gone
Stoinis was the exception to everything happening around him. Grinding his way to 50 from 35 balls — eight fours, one six — on a surface where timing was genuinely difficult, his half-century was the only innings that gave Brave’s total any semblance of respectability. After the strategic timeout he pulled Cook — who returned with the second new ball — straight to Ferguson at deep square leg, departing for 55 from 39 balls. He slammed his bat into his pad in frustration walking off, knowing exactly what his dismissal meant.
David Miller hit a couple of late sixes but Short, bowling for the first time in the final over, had him caught on the edge of the ring. Jofra Archer hit a first-ball six, was gone second ball caught by Jansen at long-on attempting to go again. Southern Brave finished 115 for 8 — their lowest-ever total in The Hundred.
Short Returns and Settles It
Matt Short had missed Welsh Fire’s victory over Birmingham Phoenix on August 1 with a minor muscle strain. He returned to Cardiff and immediately made his mark with the ball — 2 for 13 in his allocation — before settling the chase with the bat in a manner that left no doubt about the result. His 60 not out from 41 balls was the innings the chase needed: authoritative, clean and completely untroubled from the moment he arrived at the crease.
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Welsh Fire had lost wickets in the powerplay — the surface extracting enough to keep Brave’s bowlers in the game — and Joe Root made only 17 before departing. Phil Salt contributed at the top. But Short was immovable. His partnership with Ravindra and the lower middle order gradually consumed the equation until it no longer existed. Welsh Fire crossed the line with five balls to spare.
For a side missing their captain Sophie Devine — ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a calf injury — this was a performance built on experience. Cook, Woakes, Short, Ravindra: four internationals at their competitive best on a surface that rewarded it.
The Table Tightens
Welsh Fire now sit level on wins with Trent Rockets at the top of The Hundred Men’s 2026 table — four wins from five matches each, with Rockets leading on net run rate. Both sides have three group games remaining. The race for the top spot and a direct path to the final at Lord’s is a two-horse contest.
For Southern Brave, 115 for 8 is a number that demands examination. Stoinis alone cannot carry a batting line-up on surfaces that offer movement. On Monday at Sophia Gardens, nobody else came close to matching him — and Welsh Fire made sure they never needed to.
Scores: Southern Brave Men 115/8 (100 balls) — Marcus Stoinis 55 (39, 8×4 1×6); Sam Cook 3-14, Matt Short 2-13
Welsh Fire Men 116/4 (95/100 balls) — Matt Short 60* (41), Tom Kohler-Cadmore 23* (19); Jofra Archer 2/19
Result: Welsh Fire Men won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Matt Short (Welsh Fire Men) — 60* (41) & 2-13
Note: Southern Brave’s 115/8 is their lowest-ever total in The Hundred. Welsh Fire complete a double over Southern Brave in the 2026 competition.
