Welsh Fire will start their campaign on 2nd August against the Manchester Originals. They had forgettable past two editions since they were placed at the bottom of the table in both. They managed to win just two out of eight matches in the first and just one out of six matches in the second edition.
Welsh Fire were the only team who retained only 2 players, skipper Tammy Beaumont and star all-rounder Hayley Matthews. They did retain Annabel Sutherland but she pulled out due to a packed Australian schedule.
Their batting failed on most of the occasions and this prompted them to go after Sophia Dunkley and the Aussie power hitter, Laura Harris. In the draft, they picked the experienced speedster from South Africa, Shabnim Ismail. All-rounder Georgia Elwiss, spinner Alex Hartley and pacer Freya Davies were the other drafted players.
Sophia Dunkley played for the Southern Brave in the previous editions, she was their 2nd most run-getter in The Hundred 2022, with 193 runs from seven innings, Fire will hope for similar performances from her.
Retaining Hayley Matthews had to be one of the best decisions, she is an asset be it with the ball or bat. She was the most valuable player in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, playing for the ultimate champions Mumbai Indians, she scored 271 runs and picked 16 wickets from 10 matches.
Their captain Tammy Beaumont is probably one of the most improved T20 batters, she was Fire’s highest run scorer last season. In the recently concluded Charlotte Edwards (CE) cup, Beaumont scored 191 runs from just 6 matches at a strike rate of 142.
Shabnim Ismail needs no introduction, the pacer has picked 123 wickets from her 113 T20I matches and will lead the bowling attack. Her fiery attitude will definitely keep the side pumped up.
The domestic performer, Emily Windsor who scored 192 runs from 6 innings in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint (RHF) trophy is certainly among those to be watched out.
Squad:
Tammy Beaumont (C), Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Laura Harris, Alex Hartley, Alex Griffiths, Claire Nicholas, Sarah Bryce, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Chloe Skelton, Kate Coppack
Schedule:
| DATE | OPPOSITION | VENUE | TIME (BST) |
| 02-Aug-2023 | Manchester Originals | Sophia Gardens | 11:30 |
| 04-Aug-2023 | Southern Brave | Agead Bowl | 15:00 |
| 06-Aug-2023 | Oval Invincibles | Kia Oval | 14:30 |
| 10-Aug-2023 | Birmingham Phoenix | Edgbaston | 15:00 |
| 12-Aug-2023 | Southern Brave | Sophia Gardens | 14:30 |
| 14-Aug-2023 | Trent Rockets | Sophia Gardens | 15:00 |
| 20-Aug-2023 | London Spirit | Sophia Gardens | 14:30 |
| 22-Aug-2023 | Northern Superchargers | Clean State Headingley | 15:00 |
Players to watch for:
“For me, overseas player Laura Harris. People probably don’t know that much about her, Freya Davies as well, she’s a brilliant signing. I can’t believe we’ve actually got her,” said skipper Tammy Beaumont.
Laura Harris
She had a strike rate of 204 in the Women’s Big Bash League. Laura Harris will look to add the firepower that the team missed last season. Think of a player having a 200+ strike rate in a one-day tournament, one will not find many names, but Laura Harris scored 411 runs from 10 matches with a SR of 204 in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) which is Australia’s domestic one-day tournament. She is a match-winner, it will require her just a few balls to turn the match in her team’s favour.
Freya Davies
In the recent Australia A tour of England, the right-arm pacer picked 7 wickets from just 3 matches. In addition to this, she was selected for the Ashes 2023. She took 11 wickets from 7 matches in the RHF trophy. As of now, she has played 26 T20Is for England and has picked 23 wickets with her best figure being 4-23. Playing alongside Shabnim Ismail will only add to her abilities.
(Quote sourced from BBC)
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