Welsh Fire got their 2026 Hundred campaign off to the perfect start, with captain Phil Salt guiding his side to a six-wicket victory over Southern Brave in Southampton thanks to an unbeaten 47.

Salt, snapped up as Fire’s captain ahead of this year’s tournament, will be hoping to lead the Welsh franchise to a first-ever title after they finished bottom of both the men’s and women’s tables last season.

The right-hander, a former world number one T20 batter, already holds the record as The Hundred’s all-time leading run-scorer, having piled up 1,138 runs across five seasons with previous club Manchester Originals.

Set 136 for victory, Fire were given a rapid start by opener Matt Short, who cracked 20 at the top of the order while Salt played a steadier hand alongside him.

The Fire captain then anchored the innings through useful stands with Joe Root, who chipped in with 15, and Rachin Ravindra, who made 24.

With the equation down to nine needed off the final five balls, Asa Tribe took the pressure off by smashing Brave captain Chris Jordan’s first delivery for four, before Salt finished the job in style with a six two balls later to seal the win.

Earlier, Brave had lost both openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney cheaply, but 18-year-old Thomas Rew showed no signs of nerves, playing a lively hand of 41 from 30 balls to steady the innings.

South African seamer Marco Jansen was the pick of the Fire bowlers, taking 2-17 as the visitors kept a lid on the scoring for large parts of the innings.

David Miller took time to get going for the Brave but finished the innings strongly, falling off the penultimate ball of the innings for 44 off 35 balls, as the hosts closed on 135-7, a total that ultimately fell short.

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