Ravindra’s 98 off 44 and Ferguson’s four wickets send Welsh Fire top of the Hundred
Welsh Fire are the only side with two wins in the men’s Hundred after Rachin Ravindra made 98 of their 167 in Cardiff and Lockie Ferguson took four wickets to shut MI London down.
Jul 26, 2026
Rachin Ravindra got to 98 off 44 balls at Sophia Gardens and then holed out to Trent Boult, two runs short of a hundred and, as it happened, on the 98th ball of the innings. Welsh Fire won by 15 runs. If he is still annoyed about it in the morning, the four wickets Lockie Ferguson took to finish the job should help.
Fire posted 167 for 5 after MI London put them in, and then bowled the visitors out of it, restricting them to 152 for 6. It is two wins from two for a Fire side that now sits top of the men’s competition.
Twenty for two, and then Ravindra
The start gave no hint of what was coming. Phil Salt went for 6, caught by Sherfane Rutherford off Tom Curran, and Matthew Short was bowled by Richard Gleeson for 8. Fire were 20 for 2 inside 22 balls.
Ravindra took the innings off them from there. He reached fifty off 22 balls with six fours and two sixes, and by the time he was done he had seven of each. Joe Root gave him the strike and not much else, making 29 from 26 before Nicholas Pooran stumped him off Rashid Khan, but their stand was worth 116 and it was the match. Ravindra finished with 98 of Fire’s 167, which is a strange kind of scorecard to read.
Jordan Cox got 17 not out from 9 balls at the death and Marco Jansen was run out for 4 off the last delivery. Boult was the pick of the bowlers by a distance, conceding 16 from his 20 balls.
Vince kept MI London in it, Ferguson took it away
James Vince played beautifully for 66 from 38, reaching his fifty off 32 balls with six fours and three sixes, and at 72 for 1 the chase was ahead of the rate. Then it turned in the space of two deliveries. Ferguson bowled Jason Roy for 14, and Sam Curran was caught by Cox off his first ball. Seventy-two for one became 72 for 3.
Ferguson came back for Pooran, caught by Asa Tribe for 17, and later bowled Tom Curran. Four wickets for 27 from 20 balls is a serious return in this format, and all four came at the point where MI London needed someone to stay with Vince. Ravindra removed Vince himself, caught and bowled, with the score on 122.
Rutherford was left 24 not out and needing far too much from the last few balls. Welsh Fire were also docked for a slow over rate late on and had to bring an extra fielder inside the circle, which in the end cost them nothing.
Where it leaves the table
Fire have eight points from two matches, the only side to have won twice so far, and they lead the men’s standings from Birmingham Phoenix. MI London, who opened their campaign by beating Sunrisers Leeds by seven wickets, have lost for the first time and sit fourth.
Hundreds are rare in this competition. It took until 2022 for anyone to make one in the men’s draw, Will Smeed for Birmingham Phoenix, which is some context for how close Ravindra came off 44 balls. Trent Rockets are next up for Fire, and he will fancy going one better.