Welsh Fire vs Trent Rockets Prediction & Match Preview – The Hundred 11th Match

Welsh Fire face Trent Rockets in the 11th match of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Wednesday 29 July. The afternoon game begins at 3:00 pm local time.

Fire’s likely XI is led by Philip Salt, who is listed as both captain and wicketkeeper, and it holds plenty of star names: Joe Root, Matthew Short, Rachin Ravindra and Jordan Cox in the batting, with Marco Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson and Sam Cook in the bowling group. Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe complete the side.

Trent Rockets, captained by wicketkeeper Sam Billings, have a power-packed top order in Finn Allen and Tom Banton, with Tim David and David Willey to follow. Mitchell Santner, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory give all-round depth, and Matt Henry, Mohammad Amir and Ben Sanderson carry the pace attack.

On a balanced pitch under a clear sky, the contest should come down to who makes better use of the new ball and handles the middle phase. We give Trent Rockets a narrow edge for their depth with both bat and ball.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

Sophia Gardens tends to provide a balanced surface. Fast bowlers can find swing and seam with the new ball, helped by Cardiff’s often cloudy skies, and disciplined lines and lengths are rewarded. Once batters settle, true bounce and a quick outfield make scoring easier through the middle overs. Later in the innings the pitch can slow a little, bringing cutters, slower balls and spin into the contest. Around 160–175 is usually competitive, while anything above 180 puts the chasing team under pressure.

Weather

Excellent conditions are forecast for the afternoon, with temperatures around 22–23°C and sunny to mostly sunny skies. The chance of rain is below 5%, so a full match is expected. A light to moderate westerly breeze could help seamers early on, and the dry, true surface should let set batters play their shots. Little dew is expected because of the afternoon start.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 155–170
• 2nd innings: 150–165

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