In the 3rd match of The Hundred Men's 2025, the Northern Superchargers absolutely thrashed the Welsh Fire and won the match by eight wickets at Headingley. Welsh Fire's openers had a good start, but soon the innings just collapsed, and they ended up with a total that was below par. The Superchargers' top order completed the chase with light work and thus maintained their winning streak in the tournament. Here are the top 3 reasons why Welsh Fire lost the match:

1. Middle and Lower Order Collapse

After a good start with Jonny Bairstow (42 off 23) and Steve Smith (29 off 18) combining for 62 for the first wicket, Welsh Fire's batting collapsed very quickly. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals; thus, they were not able to make use of the good foundation that they had given themselves, and hence, they fell from 62-1 to 143-9 at the end of their 100 balls. It was quite evident, as none of the batters coming after the top three reached 18, that the middle and lower order were a big reason for the failure of the team.

2. Effective Superchargers Bowling and Tactics

The Northern Superchargers bowling department had their individual stars in Adil Rashid (2-25), Imad Wasim (2-26), and Matty Potts (2-26), who were able to bust the Welsh Fire at the perfect time. The Fire were not allowed to accelerate in the last half of their innings owing to the well-disciplined bowling and the wickets taken in time and, therefore, kept them to a score that was nowhere near what it should have been for a match at Headingley.

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3. Superior Top-Order Chasing by Superchargers

The Superchargers easily chased down the target, thanks to Zak Crawley (67*) and Dawid Malan anchoring the innings, losing only 2 wickets and finishing with 11 balls to spare. Welsh Fire’s bowlers couldn’t find a way through, allowing the Superchargers to finish the match off comfortably.

The Hundred goes further North with Leeds gearing up to host a game. There are challenges though with batting looking tough in the Hundred despite the change in ball. Welsh Fire in particular will come in with a few points to prove. Both Steve Smith and Jonny Bairstow have clear intentions and would eagerly be waiting the opportunity to push for a claim as they look to re-enter their national white-ball teams.

NSC vs WF Match Details

Date: August 7th 2025

Time:  10:30 PM IST

Venue: Headingley, Leeds

NSC vs WF Weather Report

Leeds is clear for the evening.

NSC vs WF Pitch Report

Runs have been tough to come by with both days of the Hundred seeing something for the bowlers. Leeds could offer the same towards the end of a long season with batting a slight challenge now.

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NSC vs WF Predicted Playing XI

Welsh Fire Playing XI 

Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Steve Smith, Luke Wells, Stephen Eskinazi, Tom Abell, Paul Walter, Mason Crane, Riley Meredith, David Payne, Josh Hull

Northern Super Chargers Playing XI

Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Graham Clarke/ Dan Lawrence, Harry Brook, James Fuller, David Miller, Imad Wasim, Brydon Carse, Mohammad Amir, Adil Rashid, Matthew Potts

NSC vs WF Players to Watch

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has been snubbed from the national teams and with a World Cup coming he will be eagerly looking at this tournament to get back in the reckoning.

Harry Brook

Few days ago Harry Brook played a shot he is likely to regret for a long time. He is in good form though but how that shot and innings plays on him is likely to determine his form both as a player and leader.

NSC vs WF Match Tips

Both teams look good but Welsh Fire could start favorites with some momentum on their side and the return of some star names.

Match Prediction: Welsh Fire Will Win the Match