The Hundred Men’s 2021 – Welsh Fire vs London Spirit – 32nd Match Preview

We have finally reached the end of the men’s version of the Hundred, with only one match remaining before the top-four sides play in the knockouts. The last match of the tournament will be played between Welsh Fire and London Spirits, two teams that have struggled in the campaign thus far.

This match will be a basement fight, with the loser team receiving the wooden spoon. The match will take place on August 18, 2021, at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. While neither of these teams is in contention to advance to the next round, they would both like to win this match. A fantastic match is certainly on the cards here.

Match Details to Note

Match: Welsh Fire vs London Spirit, The Hundred Men 2021

Date: August 18, 2021 (Wednesday)

Time: 11:00 PM (IST)

Welsh Fire vs London Spirit Team Previews

Welsh Fire

Given how Welsh Fire began the competition, many people would be shocked to see them at the bottom of the points table. Their drop in the ranking was mostly due to players leaving to play for England. Jonny Bairstow was in fantastic form when he had to leave Welsh Fire, which happened to be around the moment they started losing plot.

Welsh Fire are currently in seventh place with four points and can no longer climb up the ladder, even if they win this upcoming match. Their net run-rate of -0.979 demonstrates how bad they have been in recent encounters. They lack momentum, which may be a factor against them when they hit the field on Wednesday.

They have a great side on paper, but their balance has suffered as a result of Jonny Bairstow’s lengthy absence. Having saying that, they still have a number of players that can win the game on their own. Their bowling, on the other hand, appears to be a touch shaky, which is cause for concern. Welsh Fire will be OK if they can address that before the next match.

Welsh Fire Squad

Tom Banton(w), David Lloyd, Ian Cockbain, Ben Duckett(c), Glenn Phillips, Leus du Plooy, James Neesham, Graeme White, Qais Ahmad, Luke Fletcher, David Payne, Ryan Higgins, Matthew Critchley, Joshua Cobb, Jake Ball, Matt Milnes

Ben Duckett is the Welsh Fire’s top run-scorer in the Men’s Hundred. The southpaw has 226 runs scored and two half-centuries. But he doesn’t have much backing from the rest of the group. Qais Ahmed scored four goals in his debut Welsh Fire appearance, but he hasn’t looked his best since.

Predicted XI: David Lloyd, Tom Banton (w), Ian Cockbain, Ben Duckett (c), Glenn Phillips, Leus du Plooy, James Neesham, Graeme White, Qais Ahmad, Luke Fletcher, David Payne

London Spirit

Following a disastrous run in the Vitality T20 Blast, Eoin Morgan was expecting for a better performance in the Hundred, but it was not to be. London Spirits and Eoin Morgan were so bad in the league that they are still fighting to climb off the bottom of the standings. They’d need a victory to get off there, and that’s not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

London Spirits have only won one match thus far in the campaign and have only three points to their record. Aside from that, they have a really weak net run-rate of -0.705, which is likely to be insignificant. Even though they had a poor tournament, they would like to end on a high note. If they win here, they will move up to seventh place, giving Welsh Fire the wooden spoon.

On paper, the London Spirits possessed a powerful team, but a lack of execution lost them several games. Eoin Morgan, their veteran captain, can be a match-winner on his day. He and the other veteran players will need to perform well in this match. If that happens, London Spirits will be a very difficult team to play against.

London Spirit Squad

Adam Rossington(w), Joe Denly, Josh Inglis, Eoin Morgan(c), Ravi Bopara, Joe Cracknell, David Wiese, Roelof van der Merwe, Blake Cullen, Bradley Wheal, Mason Crane, Luis Reece, Jade Dernbach, Mohammad Amir

Adam Rossington and Josh Inglis have both started well for the London Spirit, but neither has reached a half-century. Eoin Morgan is their leading run-scorer, but his form has been a source of concern recently. With the exception of Bradley Wheal’s lone four-fer, the London Spirit’s bowling has also been abysmal.

Predicted XI: Adam Rossington (w), Joe Denly, Josh Inglis, Joe Cracknell, Eoin Morgan (c), Ravi Bopara, David Wiese, Roelof van der Merwe, Blake Cullen, Bradley Wheal, Mason Crane

Welsh Fire vs London Spirit Toss Prediction

The past two games at this location were won by teams that chased the score. We’ve seen huge scores here, and the wicket’s nature doesn’t alter much. In this game, whoever wins the toss will almost certainly choose to bowl first.

Weather and Pitch Report

The sky will be overcast, but there is no risk of rain right now. During the game, temperatures will range between 17 and 19 degrees Celsius. The humidity level will be in the low 60s.

The average score on this wicket is 151, indicating that a high-scoring game is likely. In Cardiff, two of the three games have gone in favor of the side batting second. As a result, chasing should be the way to go.

Welsh Fire vs London Spirit Match Prediction

Both teams are out of contention to advance to the next round, but they would still like to win. The winner of this match will finish in seventh place, while the losing team will finish in last place. Given this, both sides are likely to come out swinging at one other.

When comparing the two teams on paper and based on performance, Welsh Fire appear to be slightly better. As a result, they are our selection to win this next encounter.

Welsh Fire is the favourite to win this match.