Welsh Fire lost for the eighth time in a row, despite Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 48-ball 64, as Northern Superchargers defeated the 114-run total with nine balls remaining to extend Fire’s winless streak in The Hundred 2022.
The choice to bat first didn’t exactly work out as it took Fire 19 balls to get their first boundary, which was a four from Duckett. They had already lost Tom Banton by that point because he had edged out a pull to the ‘keeper. After beginning similarly slowly, Joe Clarke quickly gained momentum and smashed Wayne Parnell over the in-field for a couple of boundaries.
The middle phase saw them fall to 53 for 4 in 57 balls after a few fast wickets from Clarke, Matthew Critchley, and David Miller, as well as a close call with Duckett (dropped by Faf du Plessis). It fell to Leus du Plooy and Duckett to maintain Fire’s innings while accelerating the run rate. They could only manage one, though.
In the final 43 balls, the pair recorded an unbroken 61-run stand. While Parnell and David Willey skillfully changed their lines, lengths, and pace to hold the batters on a tight leash as they managed to reach only 114, David Wiese slowed things down.
