Manchester Super Giants host Welsh Fire at Emirates Old Trafford in the 21st match of The Hundred Men’s 2026, an afternoon game on Wednesday 5 August.
Manchester’s possible XI is full of white-ball quality. Aiden Markram captains, with Tim Seifert, Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen, Leus du Plooy and Tom Moores in the batting group. Liam Dawson offers all-round balance, and Gus Atkinson, Noor Ahmad, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker make up the attack.
Welsh Fire are led by Phil Salt, who also keeps wicket. Matthew Short, Joe Root, Rachin Ravindra, Jordan Cox and Tom Kohler-Cadmore give depth to the batting, and Ben Kellaway adds further options. Marco Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson and Sam Cook form a seam-heavy bowling unit.
Our preview expects a balanced pitch with early help for seamers, before batting becomes easier. Spinners may be useful in the middle overs with variations and the larger boundaries. A brief shower is possible, though long interruptions seem unlikely. Captains may prefer to bowl first, and the side that keeps wickets for the closing overs should come out on top. We narrowly favour Welsh Fire.
