📍 Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
📅 Date: Wednesday, 6 August 2025
🕕 Time: 6:30 PM BST
📺 Broadcast: Live on Sky Sports
🔥 High-Voltage Clash at Old Trafford
Manchester Originals and Southern Brave square off in what promises to be a high-scoring thriller. Both sides boast explosive lineups, and with Old Trafford’s traditionally flat pitch and short boundaries, fireworks are almost guaranteed.
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🟢 Manchester Originals – Powerhouse Top Order, Watchful Bowling
Strengths:
Arguably the most intimidating top four in the competition:
Jos Buttler – England white-ball skipper and tournament veteran
Phil Salt – Aggressive opener with 360-degree range
Heinrich Klaasen – Devastating middle-order finisher from South Africa
Mark Chapman – Smart signing from New Zealand, replacing Rachin Ravindra
Buttler and Salt alone can take a game away within 25 balls, and Klaasen brings calm explosiveness in the backend. The inclusion of Chapman adds left-handed variety and international T20 experience.
Bowling Outlook:
Originals have made a strategic shift, bringing in Farhan Ahmed (younger brother of Rehan Ahmed) to bolster their spin department. The inclusion of a leg-spinner in place of speedster Marchant de Lange hints at a plan to grip the ball on a used surface.
Josh Tongue is unavailable for this game, weakening their pace attack slightly.
Weakness:
Their bowling lineup may lack the venom to defend middling totals if the top order doesn’t fire.
Heavy reliance on star batters — if two fall early, the middle order looks slightly untested.
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🔵 Southern Brave – Consistency, Depth, and Experienced Attack
Strengths:
James Vince, the Mr. Consistency of The Hundred, returns as captain and top-order anchor. He topped the charts last season and is a calm, elegant accumulator who can accelerate quickly.
Bowling unit is stacked with experienced campaigners:
Reece Topley – Left-arm bounce and early swing
Chris Jordan – Death overs specialist
Tymal Mills – Raw pace and proven match-winner
Together, these three form one of the best T20 bowling trios in the competition.
Batting Depth:
Beyond Vince, the Brave batting features powerful hitters and adaptable all-rounders. While not as explosive at the top as Originals, their middle order is capable of absorbing pressure and finishing strongly.
Weakness:
Absence of Jofra Archer, still recovering, means they miss out on that express pace factor.
Batting might lack the raw firepower to chase 180+ unless Vince gets significant support.
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🧠 Tactical Preview & Matchups
Spin vs Power: Originals may look to introduce spin early against Brave’s right-hand-heavy batting. Farhan Ahmed could be key.
Top Order Race: If Buttler and Salt click, Brave will be under serious scoreboard pressure. But if Topley and Mills get early breakthroughs, Originals could wobble.
Experience vs Firepower: Brave bring a “been-there-done-that” bowling unit, while Originals rely on current form and fearless hitting.
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⭐ Players to Watch
Jos Buttler (Originals): One of the best white-ball batters in the world, and capable of changing the game single-handedly.
James Vince (Brave): Classical stroke player, likely to anchor the innings. His wicket will be the most prized for Originals.
Tymal Mills (Brave): Particularly dangerous at the death, and his slower balls can be tough even on flat decks.
Mark Chapman (Originals): Under-the-radar signing who could provide crucial middle-order stability.
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📊 Pitch and Conditions
Surface: Expect a flat pitch with consistent bounce. Spin may come into play later.
Weather: Forecast looks clear for the evening — ideal conditions for batting.
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🧩 Verdict
This is a blockbuster contest early in the tournament. Originals have the edge in top-order power, but Brave’s bowling depth and balance give them a strong chance — especially if they strike early.
With both teams eyeing momentum, this could be one of the standout games of the opening week of The Hundred 2025.
