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 sustained and the others were 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 in fact T10 formats 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 number of 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 July 24, 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 comprises players in the ranks who have stamped their authority in the shorter format of the game. From Jonny Bairstow to Kieron Pollard, 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, Pollard, Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Philips 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. Pollard who will join the squad later on is known for his aggressive batting while Neesham who would be there for first three games can also 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. 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. 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 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 Experienced campaigners The Welsh Fire have two of the most experienced players in the squad in Sarah Taylor and Sune Luus. Both the players have international exposure and have 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. While Sarah has been capped 90 times in T20Is, Luus has represented her country in 80 T20Is. As we have mentioned above that the format is slightly different from that of T20 but both these players can chip in with ideas that can fetch the team some positive results. 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 the 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
 "Aryasekhar Chakraborty")
