Last-placed Southern Brave are preparing to face table-topping Welsh Fire in their final league stage match of the Women’s Hundred 2024, at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Fire sit top on net run-rate, and will be seeking a big win to guarantee top position and a direct spot in the final.

Both teams enter this match after losses in their previous contest. Brave will be playing for pride after a poor championship defence, while Fire will want to regain their early-season form heading into the knockouts.

LAST FIVE MATCHES RESULTS

SOUTHERN BRAVE: L L L W L

WELSH FIRE: W W W NR L

LIKELY PLAYING XIs

The two teams are likely to take the same team into this crucial match.

SOUTHERN BRAVE likely XI

Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Maia Bouchier, Danni Wyatt

Allrounders: Georgia Adams, Freya Kemp, Chloe Tryon, Naomi Dattani

Wicketkeeper: Rhianna Southby

Bowlers: Lauren Cheatle, Lauren Bell, Tilly Corteen-Coleman

WELSH FIRE likely XI

Batters: Sophia Dunkley

Allrounders: Hayley Matthews, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Elwiss, Phoebe Franklin

Wicketkeeper: Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Bryce

Bowlers: Beth Langston, Freya Davies, Georgia Davis, Shabnim Ismail

STATISTICAL PERFORMANCE (SOUTHERN BRAVE)

1. SMRITI MANDHANA

Smriti Mandhana was back amongst the runs with 42(27) in the previous match. Having found her groove, she can be expected to put in another strong performance in this clash.

INNINGS: 29

RUNS: 716

AVERAGE: 27.54

STRIKE RATE: 140.39

50s/100s: 5/0

2. LAUREN CHEATLE

Lauren Cheatle has had a strong debut season in the Hundred, with a very impressive economy rate. She has 5 wickets in the last 3 matches.

INNINGS: 7

WICKETS: 7

STRIKE RATE: 18.29

ECONOMY RATE: 4.34

AVERAGE: 15.86

Players who can make a difference (SOUTHERN BRAVE)

1. Dani Wyatt

Dani Wyatt has been the top-scorer for the Southern Brave this season, with 225 runs in 7 innings.

2. Lauren Bell

Lauren Bell has been a standout bowler for the Southern Brave. She took 3 wickets in their previous match.

STATISTICAL PERFORMANCE (WELSH FIRE)

1. SOPHIA DUNKLEY

Sophia Dunkley is in a thin run of form in recent matches, but will be looking for runs going into the knockouts as one of the most dangerous batters in the competition.

INNINGS: 29

RUNS: 842

AVERAGE: 35.08

STRIKE RATE: 133.02

50s/100s: 5/0

2. FREYA DAVIES

Freya Davies has 8 wickets in 6 matches this season, including 4 in the last two. She will be responsible for containing Brave’s strong openers.

INNINGS: 26

WICKETS: 25

STRIKE RATE: 18.00

ECONOMY RATE: 6.20

AVERAGE: 22.32

Players who can make a difference (WELSH FIRE)

1. Hayley Matthews

Hayley Matthews top-scored for Fire with 35 on a difficult track in the previous match, while also taking 3 wickets. She has 6 wickets in the last 2 matches, and will be a threat with the bat as well.

2. Jess Jonassen

Jess Jonassen has 9 wickets in 6 matches in the Hundred 2024, including 2-14 in the previous match against Southern Brave.

TEAMS HEAD TO HEAD RECORD

In 6 matches, Southern Brave leads the Welsh Fire from 4 wins to 2. However, Welsh Fire won by 7 wickets when these two teams met earlier in the season.

VENUE AND PITCH

Rose Bowl in Southampton is a batting-friendly track, with 3 scores of 150+ across three matches this season. Teams prefer to chase in this venue. The average first innings score in 15 matches of the Women’s Hundred has been 134.

MATCH PREDICTION

Welsh Fire are top of the table and will be hungry to qualify directly to the finals. They have found a stronger combination than Southern Brave, and despite playing away from home, should be considered 70% favourites to take this match and top spot.

FANTASY XI:

Wicketkeeper: Sarah Bryce

Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Dani Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley

Allrounders: Hayley Matthews, Georgia Elwiss, Jess Jonassen, Chloe Tryon

Bowlers: Lauren Cheatle, Lauren Bell, Freya Davies

BACKUP PLAYERS:

Batter: Maia Bouchier

Bowler: Shabnim Ismail

All-rounder: Georgia Adams

Wicketkeeper: Tammy Beaumont