The Hundred | Team Preview: Experienced seniors, skilful youngsters provide stability to Welsh Fire

Sports is directly proportional to evolution and transition and when you talk about cricket specifically, it feeds you with changes after every few years. 

Some changes sustain and the others get wiped out. But no matter what, these changes are a process towards making this game of glorious uncertainties more interesting and relevant. 

Some 50 years back, no one would have thought that we could have specialised leagues and tournaments for T20 or T10 formats for that matter; or it would take almost 144 years to organise the first World Test Championship; or a team would lift one of the most prestigious trophies in sporting world on the basis of scoring more boundaries than their opponents. 

Well, this all happened. The newest addition to this rejigging process is the introduction of ‘The Hundred’ tournament organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). 

The tournament is expected to see some exceptionally equipped players featuring in the inaugural edition and has some interesting playing conditions on offer. 

A five-ball over, 25-ball power play, use of white cards, DLS, introduction of DRS for the first time in England’s domestic circuit would be some of the prominent aspects which would be seen when the competition commences. 

Let’s now have a look at Welsh Fire team and what they have in their kitty. 

The men’s team will begin their tournament against Northern Superchargers in Leeds on 24 July, 2021, while the women’s team will play the same opponent at the same venue ahead of the men’s fixture. 

Welsh Fire Men’s Squad

Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Qais Ahmad, Ryan Higgins, David Payne, Liam Plunkett, Kieron Pollard, Jake Ball, Ian Cockbain, Josh Cobb, Matt Critchley, David Lloyd, Jimmy Neesham (first three games), Glenn Phillips (until Kieron Pollard arrives), Leus du Plooy

Welsh side suffered a blow ahead of the start of the tournament after Kieron Pollard was one of the West Indies players to have opted out of The Hundred but the team still comprises players in the ranks who have stamped their authority at the highest level. 

From Jonny Bairstow to Liam Plunkett, the Fire franchise has players in the team who have the capability of turning the game on its head on their given day.  

Banking on Batting

The Welsh Fire seem to be a batting heavy side with the likes of Ollie Pope, Tom Banton, Bairstow, Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips in the lineup. The batsmen have the ability to score runs at any given stage of the game and with someone like Bairstow and Banton who are expected to open the innings for Welsh, the fans could see some fireworks right in the beginning.  

The middle-order too has some swashbuckling batsmen who can be lethal on their day. Neesham who would be there for the first three games can provide the team with some quick runs in the middle overs. 

Domestic Experience

If age is just a number, Ian Cockbain is the perfect example of this. He might be 34 but has been in some fine knick in the past few matches that he has played in the T20 format. To add to his form, Ian brings a lot of T20 experience to the table. He has played 128 T20 matches and has scored runs at an average of over 33 and a strike rate of 131.24. 

Well, ‘The Hundred’ format is pretty different but the right-hander can chip in with ideas during a tricky situation because of the amount of cricket that he has played in the shorter format. 

Similarly, Joshua Cobb has played a lot of T20 cricket and can be a useful source both with the bat and the ball especially when the team is in a spot of bother. Apart from these two, David Payne is another handy customer who can provide his team with resistance with the ball when they are under pressure. 

While Cobb would be a part of the spin bowling attack, Payne and Cockbain will be in the pace bowling line up. Being a left-handed medium pace bowler, Payne can play a massive role in the team’s successful run. The conditions in England would be much suited for his style of bowling especially against the right-handed batsmen.  

Not much depth in bowling

The Welsh Fire might face some problems with their bowling line up. Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball, David Payne and Qais Ahmed are the four front line bowlers for the side and the armour would have Pollard as soon as he joins the team. 

Though, they do have the bowlers in the line up who can thoroughly dominate the opposition while the presence of all-rounders Cobb and Cockbain would also add to the strength but one bad over from any of the regular bowlers would push them on the backfoot. 

Leg-spinner Ahmed’s form in the recent past is another cause of concern for the players. He hasn’t really been among the wickets and the team management would want him to get back in groove before the tournament starts. 

Chances of lifting the title

Overall, the team looks steady at the moment with the mixture of some big guns who have played at the highest level and some experienced domestic lads. 

But as they say, the first matters the most and with a kind of balanced line up that the Welsh side has, they just need to stick to the basics and take one game at a time. This can be the only ‘process’ that can create some positive results for them. 

Probable XI

Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, Jimmy Neesham, Qais Ahmad, David Payne, Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball, Ian Cockbain, Josh Cobb

Welsh Fire Women’s Squad

Katie George, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Hennessy, Lauren Filer, Sophie Luff, Natasha Wraith, Amy Gordon, Bryony Smith, Sarah Taylor, Piepa Cleary, Sune Luus, Georgia Redmayne, Bethan Ellis, Lissy Macleod, Nicole Harvey

Hayley Matthews has been named as the replacement for Sune Luus after she tested positive for COVID-19 and was ruled out of the whole competition. 

"I'm thrilled to be taking part in The Hundred this summer. It'll be a lot of fun to play in Cardiff alongside the like of Sarah Taylor in front of big crowds. The Hundred can help move women's cricket forward and it'll be great to take part,” she said.  

Experienced campaigners

The Welsh Fire have one of the most experienced players in the squad in Sarah Taylor. She has international exposure and has been playing the game for their respective national sides for quite some time now. 

Their experience can be a useful asset especially when the team is in a spot of bother. Sarah has been capped 90 times in T20Is. As we have mentioned above that the format is slightly different from that of T20 she can chip in with ideas that can fetch the team some positive results. 

Hayley Matthews who has joined the side in place of Luus also has a lot of experience at the highest level. Mathews is an opening batsmen and an off-spinner who has notched up over 1000 runs in 58 T20Is and has 54 scalps to her. 

Her all-round ability can prove beneficial for the Welsh side when they take the field. 

Another experienced player at the domestic level in the team is Georgia Redmayne. The wicket-keeper batter has been in some brilliant form in the past few one day matches that she has played and the franchise would want her to continue this in the upcoming fixtures of the tournament.

In-form youngsters

The Fire team is banking on the youngsters like Bryony Smith, Bethan Ellis and Lauren Filler. All three players have been among the wickets in the last respective matches that they have played and can bring stability in the bowling attack when they take the field. 

Out of the three, the team management would expect Smith to continue what she has been doing for quite a while and that is picking up wickets in every game and also maintaining a good economy rate which is probably one of the most essential requirements in this kind of a format. If the side is able to stop the opponents from scoring runs at brisk pace, it can surely create a lot of pressure. More than her wickets tally, Smith’s economical bowling would come handy for Welsh. 

Chances of winning the trophy

The side seems to be balanced with some senior players and young players in the ranks. While the seniors have the ability to turn the game around in their favour at any given stage, the youngsters too can create problems for the opposition especially by pulling the scoring rate. 

Probable XI

Katie George, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Hennessy, Lauren Filer, Sophie Luff, Natasha Wraith, Amy Gordon, Bryony Smith, Sarah Taylor, Sune Luus, Bethan Ellis