Ambidextrous spinner Ben Kellaway had a stellar outing on his debut in The Hundred for Welsh Fire against Birmingham Phoenix on Friday (August 22).
The 21-year-old Kellaway, on his tournament debut, struck first on the 33rd ball of the Phoenix's innings when he caught and bowled Joe Clarke for 24 off 12. He added to his wicket column once more by dismissing Louis Kimber for six off seven, reducing the Phoenix to 85-5. The hosts fought their way to 138-9 from that point, Jacob Bethell top-scoring with 38.
Kellaway was the pick of the Fire's bowlers, finishing with figures of 2-10 from his 15 balls, at an economy rate of 0.66 per ball.
In total, Kellaway took three catches in the match, having also played a role in dismissing opener Will Smeed for 23 and Bethell. He was also involved in a stellar run-out. Adam Milne mistimed a pull off Riley Meredith, and the bowler spilt a return catch, with the ball rolling a few yards close to the non-striker's stumps. Milne tried to steal a single, but Kellaway swooped in from mid-wicket, diving full stretch, almost Jonty Rhodes-style to remove the bails before Milne could reach his ground.
BRILLIANT Ben Kellaway run out ⚡️#TheHundred | #RoadToTheEliminator pic.twitter.com/Q2J4CXTmqo
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 22, 2025
The Fire gunned down the target with 11 balls to spare, losing just two wickets. Steve Smith, the highest scorer of the innings, remained unbeaten on 47 off 36, including three fours and two sixes.
Match 24, Birmingham Phoenix vs Welsh Fire
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Who is Ben Kellaway?
Kellaway is an all-rounder who has played age-group cricket for Wales and currently plays English domestic cricket for Glamorgan. The most notable aspect of Kellaway's skills is his ability to bowl with either arm, having taken wickets with both his right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox spin. However, his two wickets on his Hundred debut for Welsh Fire both came with his right-arm off-breaks. He has enjoyed an impressive domestic season in 2025, taking 10 wickets in the T20 Blast at an average of 17.10 and an economy rate of 8.69.
With the bat, he has shone in the 2025 County Championship, scoring 772 runs at an average of 59.38 with two centuries and four fifties. His 25 wickets in that competition, including two five-wicket hauls, have come at 31.24 apiece.
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