Another chase gone wrong for Fire as Spirit spoil the party

London Spirit snatched a thrilling six-run consolation victory over Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, defending a total of 131 after Welsh Fire choked in the final stages of their chase.

Fire Opt to Bowl & Miss Out: With qualification requiring an improbable net run-rate boost, Welsh Fire chose to field first, effectively ruling themselves out of playoff contention.

Spirit's Batting Stumbles: Chris Woakes and Marco Jansen kept Spirit's heavy hitters quiet early on. Spirit managed 131/8, anchored by Jonny Bairstow's 34 off 19 balls. Control Turns to Chaos: Cruising at 90/2 behind Jordan Cox (44 off 28) and Joe Root (31 off 31), Welsh Fire needed just 17 off the final 15 balls with 7 wickets in hand.

Late Breakdown: Fire lost momentum, scoring just 10 runs in their final 15 deliveries. Adam Milne removed Cox and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in consecutive balls, and David Willey (3-20) closed out the final over—dismissing Jansen on the last ball to seal the win.

Welsh Fire: Finished 5th in the standings with 4 wins from 8 matches. London Spirit: Finished 7th with a second victory to close out their tournament.

Early Platform: After losing Matt Short early, Phil Salt and Joe Root comfortably rebuilt the chase, establishing a solid platform with wickets in hand.

Control at 90/2: By the 69th ball, Welsh Fire reached 90 for 2 as Jordan Cox (44 off 28) hit his stride alongside Root (31 off 31).

Turning Point: The chase derailed when both Root and Cox fell, followed by a brilliant 18th over from Jamie Overton that yielded just a single run—leaving Fire needing 16 off the final 10 balls.

Milne Double-Strike: Adam Milne removed Cox and Tom Kohler-Cadmore off back-to-back deliveries to put Fire under extreme pressure.

Final-Over Drama: With 14 needed off three balls after Rachin Ravindra chipped a return catch to David Willey, Chris Woakes launched his first ball for six. However, Woakes managed only a single on the next delivery, and Marco Jansen was caught on the boundary off the final ball to leave Fire six runs short.

London Spirit 131 for 8 (Bairstow 34) beat Welsh Fire 125 for 7 (Cox 44, Root 31, Willey 3-20) by six runs