Match overview
Welsh Fire beat Birmingham Phoenix by 8 wickets at Edgbaston on 22 August 2025, completing a chase of 139 without breaking sweat. Phoenix posted 138/9, a score that looked insufficient from the moment Welsh Fire's openers cleared the powerplay without losing a wicket, reaching 48 from the first 25 balls. The visitors then dominated the middle phase, scoring 64 runs for 1 wicket to effectively settle the contest before the final stretch. BI Kellaway was named Player of the Match. For Phoenix, it was a third defeat in their last five Hundred games; for Welsh Fire, a second win in their last five, and one that arrived with something to spare.
The match followed a familiar Edgbaston pattern in one sense: both teams scored heavily in the powerplay. Phoenix's 50 for 1 from their first 25 balls suggested a competitive total was on the cards, but four wickets in the middle overs and four more in the death told a different story. Welsh Fire's bowlers applied consistent pressure once the early momentum had been absorbed, and Phoenix could not find the boundary-hitting they needed in the final phase, managing 43 runs from their last 25 balls at a cost of 4 wickets.
Venue and conditions
Edgbaston has hosted 198 matches across all formats in our records, and the numbers there have historically favoured the side batting first: the average first-innings score is 195, against an average second-innings score of 171. Phoenix's 138/9 sat 57 runs below that first-innings average, a deficit that left Welsh Fire chasing a well-below-par total. The ground's average powerplay score is 41 runs; both sides exceeded that figure, with Phoenix making 50 in the powerplay and Welsh Fire 48.
The toss has carried some weight at this venue. Fifty-eight per cent of toss winners have chosen to field, a preference Welsh Fire followed here, and chasing sides have won 48 per cent of matches overall. When the target is set in the low 130s rather than the 170s or 180s, the chasing team's odds improve considerably, which is exactly the situation Welsh Fire found themselves in. Death overs have been a productive period at the ground, averaging 31 runs per innings; Welsh Fire's controlled final phase of 28 runs for 1 wicket suggests they never needed to take risks.
How to watch
The Hundred is broadcast free-to-air in the UK on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, with some matches shown on BBC One. Coverage includes live play, highlights, and on-demand replays through the BBC Sport website and app. Sky Sports also holds rights to Hundred fixtures, accessible via Sky Go and NOW TV for those with subscriptions. For exact kick-off times and scheduling, the BBC Sport and Sky Sports websites carry up-to-date fixture information throughout the competition.
Recent form
Birmingham Phoenix came into this match with a mixed run: wins against London Spirit and Oval Invincibles in 2025, but defeats to Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave, and Trent Rockets. Three losses from five is not a crisis, but it points to a side that has struggled for consistency, particularly in the middle overs where they lost 4 wickets in this match. Their bowling also conceded heavily in the same phase of Welsh Fire's chase.
Welsh Fire's form has been similarly uneven. Their win here followed losses to Southern Brave, Oval Invincibles, London Spirit, and Northern Superchargers in 2025, with only a victory against Manchester Originals to show alongside this result. Two wins from six is a modest return, but this performance suggested a batting unit capable of making light work of accessible targets. Whether they can defend totals or post big scores themselves remains the question that will define their season. Both sides face a packed schedule of Hundred fixtures, and the margin of this result means Phoenix's net run rate will take a notable hit heading into the back end of the competition.
