Manchester Super Giants keep season alive through nervy win

Manchester Super Giants kept their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages of The Hundred 2026 alive with a nervy 10-run victory over Southern Brave, ending the hosts’ chances of progressing while setting up a potential decider of the league stage versus Sunrisers Leeds.

Paul Walter, featuring in only his second game of the tournament, laid the foundation for the Super Giants with a blistering 64 off 32 balls, careening six fours and four sixes. Tim Seifert added 55 from 34 balls as the pair put on a red-hot opening stand, taking the Super Giants to 119/0 in 63 balls.

The innings then imploded dramatically. Seifert was run out by a direct hit from Moeen Ali before the Super Giants lost seven more wickets for a mere 30 runs. Moeen and Adil Rashid then applied the squeeze, conceding only 38 runs between them even as Liam Dawson and Michael Bracewell, who was playing his first game as Aiden Markram’s replacement, did their bit to usher Super Giants to a total of 149 for 8.

Southern Brave found themselves under the cosh early. Jamie Smith struggled to 26 from 25 balls, yet with 25 balls remaining, the hosts were still in the hunt at 94 for 3. Tristan Stubbs and Marcus Stoinis changed the complexion of the game with a flurry of sixes before the latter fell prey to a stunning slower ball from Josh Tongue. Brave needed 19 from the ultimate five balls, but Gus Atkinson held his nerve with a bevy of pinpoint yorkers to seal the win.