Trent Rockets vs Welsh Fire Match 11 Full Commentary
Result · Jul 29 2026, Wed - 07:30 PM (IST)
Match 11, - Sophia Gardens
TRT 126/1 (14.2)
WEF 122/7 (20.0)
Trent Rockets beat Welsh Fire by 9 wickets
CRR:8.75
Player Of The Match
We are back for the chase. The umpires are back out in the middle, and so are the players of Welsh Fire. It will be the duo of Ben Duckett and Finn Allen to open the innings for Trent Rockets. Chris Woakes will get proceedings underway with the ball. Let's go...
…THE RUN CHASE…
Rockets eye comfortable chase - Set 123 for victory, the Rockets will fancy their chances of getting the job done. Will they cruise to the target, or can the Fire produce a spirited fightback with the ball? We'll find out shortly. Stay tuned as we return for the run chase.
A quick chat - Mitchell Santner talks about his bowling and feels that when Cox is going, he is hard to stop, so it was important to take the ball out of his arc. Feels that the wicket was flat and there wasn't any spin and you had to go wider because of the shorter straight boundaries. Goes on to say that even though they aren't chasing a massive score, it's important to play good cricket.
Rockets clinical with the ball - The visitors, Trent Rockets, were outstanding with the ball from start to finish. They executed their plans to perfection, backed up brilliantly by a sharp effort in the field. Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry led the wicket-taking charge, while Mohammad Amir, Craig Overton, and Lewis Gregory chipped in with disciplined spells to keep the pressure on throughout.
Fire fail to entertain - A disciplined bowling display from Trent Rockets restricted Welsh Fire to a below-par 122/7 after the hosts were asked to bat first. The innings never truly gained momentum, with Welsh Fire struggling to build substantial partnerships or maintain a healthy scoring rate. Matthew Short and Rachin Ravindra stitched together a useful stand to steady the innings, while Jordan Cox injected some late impetus with a brisk 33 off just 16 deliveries. However, the Rockets kept the boundaries to a minimum in the closing stages, ensuring the hosts were unable to capitalize at the death and had to settle for a modest total of 122/7.
Just five singles off the final set, excellent from Lewis Gregory and Welsh Fire limp their way to 122/7. Gregory takes pace off again, bowling it back of a length over middle. Chris Woakes tries to swing it leg side but gets an edge onto the arm and the ball rolls towards backward point for just another single.
No way out for the Fire at the moment. Shorter in length, slower too and following the batter down leg. Tribe swings it down to deep backward square leg for a single.
Just another single. Back of a length, around off, Woakes backs away and cuts it down straight to backward point for a run.
Hard length outside off, hit away uppishly and down to deep cover for just one more.
Should have been two. Back of a length over middle, whipped away without much timing through the gap at mid-wicket for one. Woakes looks for two but Tribe wants the strike.
Lewis Gregory comes back to close out the innings.
Amir keeps it short, angling it into the batter. Tribe backs away and pulls it wide of short fine leg, where Tom Banton makes a good stop and keeps it down to one.
The slower short ball now, outside off. Tribe hops up and uppercuts it down to deep backward point for a couple of runs.
Amir is mixing it up really well. Full and seam-up, pushed wide outside the off stump, flirting with the tramline. Tribe backs away early and fails to reach it.
Around the wicket now to Woakes, bowling it slow and short on middle. Woakes dabs it into the leg side and picks up a single.
Short of a length, hammered in over middle, Tribe pulls it wide of long on for a single.
Chris Woakes is in next.
OUT! CAUGHT! Just not enough on it. Mohammad Amir tries to spear it in at the toes, but serves it in the slot. Ben Kellaway makes room and lofts it down the ground, but straight into the big mitts of Craig Overton at long on and Amir picks up his first wicket.
A slower bumper now, over middle. Tribe gets on top of the bounce and pulls it through square leg for one.
Bowled into the pitch, pushing it wide outside off. Ben Kellaway hits it square past point for a single.
Banged in short now, angling it across off, Ben Kellaway has a go at it but misses.
Kellaway moves to the off side and Amir follows him with a fullish delivery wide outside off. Ben fails to get any bat on it and no wide is called either.
Slow and short, pushed wide outside the off stump. Ben Kellaway fails to reach it.
Ben Kellaway is the new batter in.
OUT! CAUGHT! Almost a fourth six in a row, but Finn Allen has pulled off an unbelievable catch. Mitchell Santner bowls it into the pitch, darting it wide outside off. Jordan Cox reaches for it and slaps it high and wide of deep cover. Allen runs to his right and dives across, snaffling it with the outstretched right hand.
SIX! Wow, this is turning out to be a momentum-shifting set. Full again, at the stumps, Jordan Cox clears the front leg and hammers it flat to the right of Tim David at long off for a third straight maximum. Are we about to witness something special?
SIX! Santner switches things up, but the result is the same. Full and straight, fired in, Jordan Cox slams it back over the bowler's head for another biggie. 100 up now for the Fire.
SIX! Too much time on Cox's hands. Dropped well short and around off, Jordan Cox wallops it away towards cow corner and the ball sails well over the ropes.
Amir takes pace off again, bowling it back of a length and outside off. Cox hopsback and taps it down through the off side for one.
Moving to the London Derby - A very one-sided affair in Cardiff, and Trent Rockets now make it back-to-back wins to move up the table, and we now move to London for the much-awaited London Derby. The Women's game between MI London and London Spirit has just ended in an epic tie, and it is now time for the Men to take centre stage. That game is about to start at 5.30 pm GMT (11 pm IST) and you can simply switch tabs to catch our coverage of that game. Cheers!
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Ben Duckett is given the accolade for his match-winning unbeaten knock of 52 off 45 balls. Duckett praised the bowlers for setting up the victory, saying they were outstanding. He revealed that the team had discussed adapting quickly to the conditions, giving the bowlers immense credit for executing those plans perfectly. Speaking about the chase against Welsh Fire, Duckett said the strategy was to negotiate the Powerplay before building the innings. He added that batting alongside Finn Allen was a big help, while Tom Banton eased the pressure, especially during a phase when he struggled to time the ball in the middle overs. Duckett felt several teammates were equally deserving of the award but admitted that chasing a manageable target made life easier for the batters. Reflecting on the campaign, he noted that their opening matches had been closely contested and expressed delight at securing the win. Looking ahead, he said the team hopes to carry this momentum into their next match in Manchester on Friday before returning home for Sunday's fixture.
Surprisingly flat from the Fire - What happened with the bat earlier on happened. But the way the Fire bowled and fielded was rather disappointing to see. As many as 7 No Balls in the innings- something you don't even see in a whole ODI game and there were also a couple of moments where the fielding should have been better as well. A truly forgettable game, one the Fire will look to put behind them at the earliest.
Modest total, written off without a fuss - With just 123 needed to win on a generally good surface for batting, all the Rockets needed was some sort of a stand up the top of the order. They got just that as Ben Duckett and Finn Allen stitched together 75 runs in no time. Allen got out, but Duckett went on to pick up another half-century, and along with Tom Banton, got his side over the line with plenty of balls to spare.
Unbeaten no more - Trent Rockets thump Welsh Fire in their own backyard, handing them their first defeat of the season. It was clinical from start to finish for the Men from Trent Rockets, who follow in the footsteps of the Women's team, sealing a comfortable victory against Welsh Fire.
FOUR! Tom Banton hits the winning blow! Fuller than a length at the stumps. Tom Banton makes room and lifts it toward the deep extra cover region for a thumping boundary to finish the game. Trent Rockets win by 9 wickets with 28 balls to spare.
NO BALL! Fuller than a length, just outside off. Banton drives it uppishly and goes straight to Woakes at mid off, who takes the catch, but Jansen has overstepped. No ball given. Free hit coming up. The scores are level now.
Slower length ball on off. Duckett pulls it through backward square leg for one.
Tossed up on the leg. Ben Duckett shimmies down and works it through mid-wicket for one.
Short and on the middle and leg. Banton advances and miscues the heave toward deep square leg for one.
FOUR! Misfield and a boundary! Full and around middle. Banton gets across on his front foot and rolls his wrists. Whips it to deep mid-wicket, where Asa Tribe fumbles and lets the ball trickle away into the fence. That sums up the Fire's day so far.
Fifty for Ben Duckett! Darted full, at the stumps. Ben Duckett makes room and drills it toward the deep cover region for a single. Gets to his fifty in 43 balls.
Quicker ball, down the leg side. Ben Duckett sweeps it straight to short fine leg for none. Three dots in a row.
Fuller delivery, sliding in, just outside off. Ben Duckett tries the reverse sweep but does not connect.
Flatter arm ball, sliding into the middle and leg stump line. Duckett makes room, gets cramped and mistimes the cut to the cover point fielder.
FOUR! Trent Rockets are in a hurry to finish! Fuller and quicker delivery at the stumps. Ben Duckett advances and slams it hard toward the long-on region. One bounce and into the ropes.
Flighted full, around off. Tom Banton advances and drills this to long off for one.
SIX! Pumped! Tossed up full, on off. Tom Banton goes hard at it and launches it over the long on fence for half a dozen.
Ben Kellaway is brought back into the attack.
Slower and shorter delivery on the hip. Banton helps it toward backward square leg for a single. Trent Rockets need just 21 now off 40 balls.
FOUR! 100 comes up for the Rockets! Short ball, angled down the leg. Tom Banton gets into a good position and hooks it toward the fine leg region to find the ropes in a flash.
Short of a good length, around off. Ben Duckett steers it down to deep third for one.
Slower, Back of a length delivery on the middle. Ben Duckett is early into the shot and mistimes the pull to short mid-wicket.
Short of a good length around off. Tom Banton taps it through the gap at cover point for one.
Back of a length, outside off. Ben Duckett pulls this toward the deep mid-wicket region for a single.
Short of a good length on the hip. Banton tucks it toward the deep square leg region for one.
Pace off, back of a length, angled into the middle stump line. Tom Banton looks to pull but he misses and wears high on the thigh pad.
Back of a length on the hip. Banton tucks it toward the deep backward square leg region. The batters push hard and complete the second run.
A bit of a halt as the ball seems to be lost. A few of the players and the stadium staff are looking for it, and it seems like a ball has been found. Whether or not it's the correct one remains to be seen. Well, it seems like it is the match ball, and we are good to go again.
We have lost count of the number of No Balls bowled in this innings.