Brook’s Rapid Ton in Hundred But Welsh Fire Wins

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Harry Brook’s record-breaking swift century in the Hundred was not enough as Welsh Fire defeated Northern Superchargers by eight wickets at Headingley, maintaining their chance to reach Saturday’s eliminator match.

Brook achieved his century in just 41 balls, scoring an impressive 105 not out off 42 balls. However, he didn’t receive much help from his teammates, resulting in the Superchargers setting a total of 158 for 7. Fire’s Stephen Eskinazi’s fifty paved the way for their innings, followed by Jonny Bairstow’s 44 and Joe Clarke’s 42, which led the visitors to secure the win.

If Manchester Originals defeat Southern Brave on Wednesday, Fire will advance to the eliminator stage. Unfortunately, the Superchargers were knocked out due to their loss, and the outcome also dashed the chances of Trent Rockets and London Spirit to secure a top-three position.

Brook displayed an outstanding individual performance to lead the Superchargers’ revival. Early in the innings, Matthew Short, Tom Banton, and Adam Lyth were all dismissed within the initial 20 balls, leaving the Superchargers in a difficult position at 10 for 3 after winning the toss.

🆕 NEW RECORD 🆕

🏏 42 balls
💨 105 runs
🤩 1 outstanding innings

The fastest 100 in #TheHundred men’s competition 🔥 pic.twitter.com/R6ZWDmqaOh

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 22, 2023

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Brook started his innings patiently while batting alongside Adam Hose. However, he shifted gears after Hose was dismissed by Matt Henry after 33 balls. Brook’s remarkable performance included a daring ramp shot for six against a fast Lockie Ferguson bouncer, and he also smashed Roelof van der Merwe for a powerful six straight down the ground.

As Brook’s batting partners dwindled, his situation became increasingly challenging. Adil Rashid, who was moved up to the sixth position, was dismissed by the left-arm spinner, and David Wiese was run out by Tom Abell, leaving the team’s score at 92 for 7. Despite these setbacks, Brook continued his determined effort. He achieved a half-century from 24 balls and then accelerated his scoring, collecting 19 runs from the five deliveries bowled by Luke Wells.

Using a combination of remarkable strength and precise timing, the right-handed batsman unleashed his hitting prowess. He smashed Lockie Ferguson’s delivery straight down the ground for a six, with the ball landing on the Sky Sports commentary pod.

With only 10 balls left in the innings, Brook’s score was 76. However, he made a rapid surge to reach his century by hitting two additional sixes and four fours. In those final 10 deliveries, he gathered 30 runs, making him the third player to achieve a Hundred century, following Will Smeed and Will Jacks.

The home team had built up momentum, but Eskinazi quickly started to shift the balance. The right-handed batsman smashed two sixes in Reece Topley’s second set of deliveries. He got a lucky break when both Topley and Matthew Potts failed to take a high catch, giving Eskinazi a second chance.

Eskinazi capitalized on his second chance, accelerating to a half-century in just 19 balls, which included three sixes. At this point, Fire had a strong position with a score of 66 without any loss after 40 balls.

When Rashid was brought into the attack, the run rate slowed down, particularly for Bairstow, who took eight balls to score just eight runs. Eventually, Rashid broke through by dismissing Eskinazi for 58 with a googly on the 51st ball. This left Fire needing 82 more runs to secure victory.

Bairstow found his rhythm along with new batsman Clarke, as both of them hit sixes off Wiese’s bowling. However, Parkinson’s 10-ball set took a turn for the worse, resulting in a six by Bairstow and a subsequent no-ball that cost four runs.

With Fire on a comfortable path to victory, requiring 19 runs from 20 balls, Brook once again appeared with an exceptional boundary catch, removing Bairstow for 44. Brook managed to keep the ball in play, passing it first to himself and then to Hose, preventing the ball from crossing the boundary.

Nonetheless, Clarke took charge and guided his team to victory, contributing 42 runs from 22 balls to maintain Fire’s chances of success in the tournament.

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