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Match 26 | The Hundred 2026 | The Rose Bowl (Utilita Bowl), Southampton | 8 August 2026
Jamie Smith and Jos Buttler are the two batters actually worth watching when Southern Brave host Manchester’s Hundred side at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, and one of them just got a promotion nobody saw coming. Buttler was handed the captaincy this week after Aiden Markram left the tournament for personal reasons, reshaping the visitors’ top order overnight. Smith, meanwhile, has quietly become Brave’s leading scorer without much fanfare. Both sides arrive out of form, which makes their best batters carry even more weight.
Aiden Markram will not play any further part in this year’s competition. He returned to South Africa for personal reasons earlier this week, and Manchester’s management confirmed he will miss the rest of the tournament. Jos Buttler has been named the new captain in his place, while Michael Bracewell, the New Zealand all-rounder, has been signed as his replacement.
Markram leaves with 117 runs from five matches, including a half-century at The Oval on Sunday, after managing just 67 runs across his first four innings. The timing is awkward for a side already sliding down the table, and it hands Buttler a much heavier workload just as Manchester needed him most.
Brave’s batting order has shuffled more than once this season. Jamie Smith took over as the club’s leading run scorer with 124 runs, overtaking Tristan Stubbs, who had held that spot with 85 runs and an average of 42.50 through the first three matches. Smith’s strike rate sits at 193.84, comfortably the most explosive in the top order, while Stubbs offers more control at 146.55.
David Miller was the early pacesetter with 53 runs before Match 9, and showed his usual composure with 39 off 28 balls against London Spirit in Match 17. Tom Abell fills the other middle-order slot, though his numbers this campaign are unpublished. Brave sit fourth on the table with two wins from five.
Buttler now carries both the captaincy and the bulk of Manchester’s scoring. He has piled up 226 runs across five innings at a strike rate of 167.40, with three fifties banked, including a 20-ball 51 not out against Welsh Fire.
Heinrich Klaasen provides the middle-order experience, contributing 220 runs across ten matches in his broader multi-tournament form, and opened his campaign here with 17 off 11 against London Spirit. Bracewell arrives with no Hundred numbers yet, making his debut an unknown. Manchester started with two wins before dropping three straight, sitting fifth on the table.
The Rose Bowl has produced eye-catching totals throughout the competition’s history, with 20 matches at the ground combining for 5,510 runs and a strike rate of 171.0. Northern Superchargers hold the highest total recorded here, 201 for 3.
Match 13 this season was the exception, when Brave bowled out an opponent for just 100, but that looks like an anomaly given everything else the ground has produced. The surface offers true, even bounce, letting seamers find early movement before it slows and turns into spinners’ territory as the innings wears on. Teams batting first have won 84 of 145 completed matches here, a record that should encourage whichever captain wins the toss on Saturday evening.
| Batter | Team | Average | Strike Rate |
| Jamie Smith (WK) | Southern Brave | 31.50 | 193.84 |
| Tristan Stubbs | Southern Brave | 42.50 | 146.55 |
| David Miller | Southern Brave | 24.16 | 121.84 |
| Tom Abell | Southern Brave | 29.79 | 133.50 |
| Jos Buttler (c, WK) | Manchester Super Giants | 92.33 | 178.70 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Manchester Super Giants | 27.50 | 138.36 |
| Michael Bracewell | Manchester Super Giants | 22.50 | 129.18 |
Buttler’s superior strike rate and average put him ahead of everyone else in this match-up on raw output, but Smith’s explosive top-order role makes him just as capable of settling the game inside the powerplay. Stubbs and Klaasen both offer control rather than fireworks, exactly the balance either side needs if the game tightens late.
Bracewell is the biggest unknown on the field, arriving with zero data attached to his name, while Abell’s quiet campaign leaves Brave needing more from their senior batters. Whichever way the powerplay swings, the story of Southern Brave vs MSG Hundred 2026 batters is really about who trusts their method under pressure, not just who has scored the most runs.
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Who is captaining Manchester’s Hundred side this season?
Jos Buttler is now in charge, replacing Aiden Markram as captain. He took over after Markram departed for personal reasons during the week of August 3, with Michael Bracewell signed in as his direct replacement.
Who are Southern Brave’s most important batters this season?
Jamie Smith leads the way with 124 runs, just ahead of Tristan Stubbs. Stubbs holds the better average at 42.50, while David Miller remains the side’s calmest finisher in run chases.
What time does Saturday’s Hundred fixture start?
The match gets underway at 6:00 PM local time, 5:00 PM GMT, on 8 August. It will be played at the Rose Bowl, also known as the Utilita Bowl, in Southampton.
Where is this weekend’s Hundred match being played?
The venue is the Utilita Bowl, commonly known as the Rose Bowl, in Southampton. The ground has hosted 20 Hundred matches, and seats up to 25,000 with temporary stands added.
Who has scored the most runs this season in the competition?
Buttler currently tops the individual charts with 226 runs from just five innings. His strike rate of 167.40 and three fifties put him well clear of the chasing pack heading into round nine.
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