The Hundred | Team Preview: Batting-heavy Southern Brave possess enough balance to lift the title

The newness of the format The Hundred tournament will bring to the game and the Southern Brave could not have had a more fitting squad for the format by having multiple stars who have been known just for the uniqueness that they bring to the table.

The Brave will miss one of the biggest match-winner of the current generation in Andre Russell but they won’t have too much of a tough time making peace with what they have. They have one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of this era, they have the most vaunted in international cricket and one of the newest heroes of world cricket.

Southern Brave — Men's Squad

Captain- Yet to be announced

Big players: Jofra Archer, Devon Conway, Quinton de Kock, Chris Jordan

Jofra Archer, Danny Briggs, Devon Conway, Alex Davies, Liam Dawson, Quinton de Kock, George Garton, Colin de Grandhomme, Chris Jordan, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills, Craig Overton, Delray Rawlins, James Vince, Max Waller, Ross Whiteley

Coach: Mahela Jayawardene

Onus on de Kock, Conway and Vince

The fortunes of the Brave will hinge heavily on the shoulders of these three batsmen, especially as they will lack the firepower of Andre Russell lower down the order.

Conway has emerged as one of the most promising players on the world stage with big scores across formats but his initial limelight had come in the T20 format. He was at the top of his game against Australia and Bangladesh in the 20-over format before making it into the Test side.

His exploit in the longest format turned out to be more spectacular than the short form performances but his command against the white ball did not decrease one bit. He has been in stellar form in the English summer and the Brave would bank on him to shine off his campaign in England on a much more remarkable level.

Quinton de Kock has been a big-ticket player for almost a decade now and his exploit for the Mumbai Indians side have been exemplary. The Brave would back him to bring some attitudes of a champion after winning titles with the Mumbai Indians and also firepower at the top of the order.

Another member of the big trio for the Brave would be James Vince, who too has been in superb form with the bat in the just-concluded series against Pakistan. He won England a game almost single-handedly in partnership with lower-order batsmen and the Brave would bank on him to form an oppression trio with de Kock and Conway to give bowlers ample amount of cushion.

He too, like de Kock, was part of the side that won a big T20 tournament with the Sydney Sixers in the last edition of the Big Bash League and the Brave would hope their experiences will make them a stronger side in another big tournament.

Mahela Jayawardene and the Mumbai Indians model

Mahela Jayawardene took charge of the most successful IPL franchise before the 2017 edition and since then the side have become a model of success for other sides across the world. He has specifically asked his batsmen to throw all their might with the bat to check the depth and energy in the opposition. 

The model will come in handy for the Brave in an even shorter format of the game and they too have a bullish top order to inflict damages on the magnitude of the Mumbai Indians. A lot of that heavy-duty at the top has been done by de Kock and the Brave would hope a change in jersey would not affect his intent and impact.

Brave need Jofra the ‘MVP’ Archer

Jofra Archer rose to prominence in the T20 leagues before getting into the IPL where he has been awarded the title of the Most Valuable Player on numerous occasions. Among the bowlers who have bowled good enough part of their deliveries in IPL, he has been the most economical pacer.

He was advanced into the England ODI side right before the big ICC World Cup in 2019 and he repaid the faith by putting one match-winning performance after another.

He also has been a brutal hitter of the cricket ball in the last overs of T20 games and the Brave would need a lot of those from him, on the risk of repetition, especially in the absence of Russell.

Bowling - A concern after Archer-Jordan

Apart from the consistency and X-factor of Archer and the experience of bowling well in the last overs of Chris Jordan, the responsibility of the pace department will fall on the shoulders of Tymal Mills and Craig Overton. Mills has been a short form legend before repetitive injuries ruled him away from the game, to the extent of extinction.

On the other hand, Overton has risen through the ranks for his height and the extra bounce he generates off the pitch. However, those sorts of skills don’t always help the bowling side as bowlers like him can find it tough to nail down yorkers and can open the run-leaking tap at one end.

There is a lack of variety in the spin department led by the left ar spinners Danny Briggs and Liam Dawson. Briggs has been there in the England domestic circuit for a long time and is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the England domestic T20 competition—Vitality Blast, but lack of mystery and not so helpful pitches in the tournament might tie his one hand down against the high-class batsmen of this era.

Chances of the shot at the title

If the batting group can put their hands up to provide cushioning to the bowling group, the Brave could well be on their way to becoming the first champions of The Hundred.

The Brave have enough big players to turn things around in a game and their firepower, even in the absence of Russell, would be a team to beat.

Probable XI

Devon Conway, Quinton de Kock, James Vince, Collin de Grandhomme, Delray Rawlins, Alex Davies, Danny Briggs, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Craig Overton

Southern Brave — Women’s squad

Captain: Yet to be announced 

Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Sophia Dunkley, Smriti Mandhana, Ella McCaughan, Fritha Morris, Tara Norris, Sonia Odedra, Carla Rudd, Paige Scholfield, Anya Shrubsole, Charlotte Taylor, Stafanie Taylor, Amanda-Jane Wellington, Danni Wyatt

Big players: Sophia Dunkley, Smriti Mandhana, Anya Shrubsole, Stafanie Taylor, Dani Wyatt

Coach: Charlotte Edwards

Batting rich in class and firepower

The onus of carrying the Southern Brave to some height in the tournament will fall on the shoulders of a star-studded batting lineup. The batting looks richer with the presence of Stafanie Taylor, who was in a terrific run of form with both bat and ball against England earlier last month, Smriti Mandhana, an explosive Indian women opener and Sophia Dunkley, who is stepping up the ladder with every appearance on the field. All of them have been in a dream run of form and the Brave women will bank on the trio to set up games for other players to step up.

The Brave will also want the England Women trio of Dani Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley and Anya Shrubsole to put up brave performances and match with their men Brave partners in terms of intensity and promises.

Chances of winning the title

The Brave would rely on the explosive quarter comprising of Mandhana, Wyatt, Dunkley and Taylor to win a majority of games and the expectations don’t seem too untoward with the form they all have been batting with. 

If they can succeed with the bat, the Brave look a strong outfit and could well go all the way to become the first champion of The Hundred tournament.

Probable XI

Smriti Mandhana, Danni Wyatt, Stafanie Taylor, Sophia Dunkley, Maia Bouchier, Carla Rudd (wk), Anya Shrubsole, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tara Norris, Charlotte Taylor/Fi Morris, Lauren Bell