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The Hundred men's competition, Utilita Bowl
Southern Brave 135-7 (100 balls): Miller 44 (35); Jansen 2-17
Welsh Fire 138-4 (98 balls): Salt 47* (37); Chaudhary 2-19
Welsh Fire won by six wickets
Welsh Fire captain Phil Salt led from the front as his unbeaten 47 helped them begin the 2026 Hundred season with a six-wicket win against Southern Brave in Southampton.
Former world number one-ranked T20 batter Salt is The Hundred's all-time leading scorer, having hit 1,138 runs in five seasons with his former side Manchester Originals.
Having signed for Fire as their captain before this year's competition, he is aiming to guide the Welsh franchise, who finished bottom of both the men's and women's table last season, to their first-ever title.
Chasing 136 on Wednesday, Salt played the supporting role early on as fellow opener Matt Short struck a brisk 20 before he kept the visitors on course through partnerships with Joe Root (14) and Rachin Ravindra (24).
With nine runs required from the final five balls, Asa Tribe hit Brave captain Chris Jordan's first ball for four before Salt sealed the victory with a six two balls later.
Batting first, Brave lost openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney for single figures but 18-year-old Thomas Rew helped rebuild their innings with a flashy 41 from 30 balls.
The Fire bowlers, led by Marco Jansen who finished with 2-17, kept the scoring in check for much of the innings.
David Miller struggled to find his rhythm at the start of his innings but finished strongly for Brave before departing in the penultimate delivery with a 35-ball 44, which lifted the hosts to 135-7, which ultimately proved not enough.
