Matthew Short marked his return from injury in style at Sophia Gardens, guiding Welsh Fire to a six-wicket win over Southern Brave and a fourth victory in five matches this Hundred summer.

The result moves Fire level on 16 points with leaders Trent Rockets, while Brave stay fourth with two wins from six.

Short missed Saturday’s win over Birmingham Phoenix with a niggle but slotted straight back in at the top of the order and batted through the chase, finishing unbeaten on a 37-ball fifty.

The Australian described the Cardiff surface as “spicy,” with plenty on offer for seamers on both sides.

“It was tough early and it was a pretty spicy wicket with some quick bowlers,” Short said afterwards.

“It was nice to bat second and get a bit of dew and skid off the wicket.”

He added that Brave’s bowlers had come out with “a Test-match length” that gradually eased as the shine wore off, while praising his own attack for hitting the right areas and letting the ball do the work.

Fire chose to bowl first, and it paid off almost immediately.

Chris Woakes and Sam Cook reduced Brave to 2 for 2 inside seven balls, with openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney both dismissed without troubling the scorers, caught behind off the pair.

The same Cook-Salt combination accounted for Nikhil Chaudhary, who managed just 18, shortly after he and Marcus Stoinis had nudged Brave to an underwhelming 45 for 3 at the halfway mark.

Rachin Ravindra then struck twice in as many balls, removing Tristan Stubbs and Moeen Ali – the latter picking out Joe Root at long-on.

Brave were labouring at little more than a run a ball until Stoinis found some rhythm, striking 55 from 39 balls before Cook – who finished with a superb 3 for 14 – had him holing out to deep square leg.

David Miller chipped in late with 21 from 17 balls, but no other Brave batter reached double figures, and Short – bowling the final over of the innings in his first spell of the match – had Miller caught in the deep.

Jofra Archer smashed a first-ball six only to fall next delivery, leaving Brave all out for 115 for 8 – their lowest total in Hundred history.

Chasing 116 on a tricky surface, Fire lost captain Phil Salt cheaply, but Joe Root and Short put on a composed 56-run stand to lay the foundations.

Chris Jordan removed Root for 17, and when Rachin Ravindra fell for a golden duck soon after, Brave briefly sensed a way back into the contest.

Jordan Cox became the third Fire wicket to fall inside the space of ten runs, but Short held firm and refused to let the innings slip.

Still needing more than a run a ball, Short scooped Archer for six to bring up his half-century, then combined with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, unbeaten on 23, to see Fire home with five balls to spare – completing a first Hundred double over Brave this summer and keeping Fire firmly in the title conversation alongside the Rockets.

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