Root scored 64 not out off 41 balls © Getty Joe Root’s unbeaten 64 helped Trent Rockets pull through in a tense chase and qualify for the final weeks in Men’s Hundred 2025 courtesy a three-wicket win over Welsh Fire on Sunday. The result also sealed the top three places, with Rockets joining Oval Invincibles and Northern Superchargers, while eliminating the rest. Fire had a 97-run stand to thank for their 150/6 wherein Stevie Eskinazi scored a fifty and skipper Tom Abell narrowly missed out on one. Root had Rockets in the hunt from the better part before a late stumble left them needing 14 off the last set of five, which is where he brought out the fireworks to seal it with a ball to spare. Put in to bat first in Cardiff, Fire had an indifferent start to their batting innings with Steve Smith and Jonny Bairstow both departing in quick succession after making eight each. That brought Abell onto the crease, and together with Eskinazi, he went on to stitch a 97-run partnership for the third wicket in just 54 balls. The captain was the aggressor in the partnership, hitting five boundaries and a six in her 29-ball 48 before David Wiley got Rockets the much-needed breakthrough. Eskinazi, meanwhile, fell the very next delivery – having made his 53 in 42 balls with five boundaries and a couple of maximums. Chris Green’s twin boundaries late in the innings made up for the bit of a slowdown at the departure of both set batters, and gave Rockets 151 for target. Rockets’ chase was powered by a fiery Tom Banton, who slammed 32 in just 20 deliveries before the 66-run opening stand with Root was broken by Ben Kellaway. Root dropped anchor, with Rehan Ahmed contributing a run-a-ball 10 and Max Holden a 14 at the same strike-rate. It was Green who helped Fire claw back with the wickets of Holden and Tom Moores in the space of four deliveries, and similarly David Payne got rid of Marcus Stoinis and Willey in successive balls in the penultimate set to round off a dramatic collapse of 5 for 20. With 14 required off 5, Root came down the track to loft Green over long-on for a six before pulling the next one to midwicket fence for four to put Rockets ahead once again. The equation was down to two off the final two balls when Sam Hain sealed with a four off the penultimate ball, sealing a berth in the finals week for his team and knocking out the remaining five hopefuls. Brief scores: Welsh Fire 150/6 in 100 balls (Stevie Eskinazi 53, Tom Abell 48; Sam Cook 2-17) lost to Trent Rockets 152/7 in 99 balls (Joe Root 64*, Tom Banton 32; Chris Green 2-34, David Payne 2-38) by 3 wickets
