The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
Signing off for now! This is Dwaipayan Mukherjee and I am grateful to have shared the stage with the brilliant Meeth Agrawal. Until next time...Take care.
David Warner (Player of the Match): Bairstow and Green took it really deep and played superbly; credit to Bairstow, he gave his all. For us, it was about settling in during the first 25-30 balls. The wicket was a bit sticky at the start, but it got better under the lights. Ultimately, we executed our plans really well. I'm just enjoying this format and getting a better hang of it. It's nice, and I'm loving the crowd.
9:03 PM local time, 1:33 AM IST: London Spirit (163 for 5) defeat Welsh Fire (155 for 6) by 8 runs
Jonny Bairstow - 86* (50) | Daniel Worral - 2/31 Chris Green - 32* (21) | Richard Gleason - 1/25
Who would have thought? At 55 for 6 after 47 balls - very few would have seen this coming. But let us take you through the sequence of events as and when it happened. Smith and Bairstow couldn't repeat the heroics of their opening game as the early breakthrough happened with Smith departing the scene without a major score on the board. 3 wickets within the powerplay never helps while chasing a mammoth score as Spirit continued to make significant inroads into the Fire's batting group. Worrall, who topped the list of most swing extracted in last year's tournament, produced an exceptional yorker that marked half of the side back into the hut for Fire in just the 33rd ball of the chase.
Bairstow was left stranded on the other end as he witnessed his partners make brief appearances to the batting crease in a Russian roulette manner. At the 50 ball stage, Spirit were 60 for 1 and Fire were 58 for 6. The men in blue and black did not push their cause initially and that might have proven to be the difference between the sides tonight as far as the top order batting was concerned. Warner showed the maturity to draft a long innings, get the boring stuff done to provide a platform for him and the rest of the Spirit batting crew to apply some envious finishing touches. That never happened for Fire.
The match looked dead and buried until that stand happened. The Cardiff crowd woke up when Green and Bairstow produced a late charge. A partnership of 100 from 53 balls was a record 7th wicket stand in this history of this tournament. Bairstow went from 28 from 27 balls to 86 runs from 50 balls. Chris Green went from 8 from 9 balls to 32 runs from 21 balls. For the sake of folklore, the neutral viewer began hoping for a Welsh Fire win! Bairstow became the 2nd batter after Phil Salt to complete 100 runs in the men's Hundred 2025. He almost pulled off an absolute spectacle through incredible batting with shots that went through the line as the Spirit bowlers fed the beast into friendly areas where Jonny massacred them.
In the end, Spirit just managed to get the job done. Hope you have been able to catch your breath by now!
20.0
19.5 Luke Wood to Jonny Bairstow, LONDON SPIRIT WIN BY 8 RUNS!!! It was a length delivery on the leg stump. Bairstow gets cramped up for room and could just manage to push it to right of the bowler. WHAT A FIGHTBACK FROM BAIRSTOW AND GREEN BUT LUKE WOOD HELD HIS NERVED IN THE END TO SEAL A THRILLER FOR LONDON SPIRIT!
19.4 Luke Wood to Jonny Bairstow, SIX!!! But too late! Bumper ball on the stump line, Bairstow clear his front leg and pulls it viciously over deep mid wicket for a maximum.
19.3 Luke Wood to Jonny Bairstow, slower and hard length on body, Bairstow pulls it with a single hand to deep mid wicket for a couple.
19.2 Luke Wood to Jonny Bairstow, DOT AGAIN!!! Banged in short on leg stump line. Bairstow tennis bats it to mid off. Wanted a single but changes his mind at the last moment.
19.1 Luke Wood to Jonny Bairstow, DOT BALL!!! Back of a length on the stump line, Baistow shuffles in his crease and slaps it straight to the fielder and mid off.
Luke Wood will bowl the final set of deliveries in this match. Bairstow breathes life into this contest. Within touching distance now is Welsh Fire.
19.0
18.5 Jamie Overton to Chris Green, final ball of the penultimate set and just a single. 17 needed from 5 now. Good length on the leg side, hit away to square leg for a single.
18.4 Jamie Overton to Chris Green, OHHH! A very very important dot ball! NASTY STUFF FROM OVERTON! RIGHT ON THE HELMET! Green did it well to kick it before the ball was rolling on the stumps. A perfect bouncer right on the money, beats Green on the pull and hits the grill. Concussion check underway now.
18.3 Jamie Overton to Jonny Bairstow, banged in short on the body, Bairstow pulls it to square leg for a single.
18.2 Jamie Overton to Jonny Bairstow, SIX MORE!!! That's some shot from Bairstow. It was full and in the slot outside leg. Bairstow creates room and powerfully drives it over long off for a maximum. JUST BEAUTY!!!
18.1 Jamie Overton to Jonny Bairstow, SIX!!! Good length on the pads, Bairstow moves away and whips it over backward square leg high in the air and just over the ropes.
Jamie Overton comes back to the attack!
31 runs needed from 10 balls : Bairstow becomes the 2nd batter after Phil Salt to complete 100 runs in the Men's Hundred 2025. And he is pulling off an absolute spectacle!
18.0
17.5 Richard Gleeson to Jonny Bairstow, banged it short outside off, Bairstow pulls it uppishly to right of deep mid wicket. Just one. 31 needed off 10 now.
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