Welsh Fire

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Welsh Fire
Tân Cymreig
Personnel
CaptainAustralia Steve Smith
(Men's team)
TBC
(Women's team)
CoachSouth Africa Gary Kirsten
(Men's team)
Australia Matthew Mott
(Women's team)
Overseas player(s)Australia Mitchell Starc
Australia Steve Smith
Afghanistan Qais Ahmad
(Men's team)
Australia Meg Lanning
Australia Jess Jonassen
Australia Beth Mooney
(Women's team)
Team information
Colours   
Founded2019
Home groundSophia Gardens
(Men's team)
Bristol County Ground &
County Ground, Taunton (Women's team)
Capacity16,000 (Sophia Gardens)
8,000 (Bristol County Ground)
8,500 (County Ground, Taunton)
History
No. of titles0
The Hundred title wins0
The Hundred game wins0
Official websiteWelsh Fire

Welsh Fire (Welsh: Tân Cymreig) are a franchise 100-ball cricket side representing the English historic counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire as well as the Welsh county of Glamorgan. The side competes in the newly founded The Hundred competition for the 2020 English and Welsh cricket season. The men will play at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, while the women will play at Bristol County Ground and County Ground, Taunton.

History

See also: The Hundred (cricket)
SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff

The announcement of the new eight-team men's and women's tournament series in 2019 was not without controversy, with the likes of Virat Kohli criticising the England and Wales Cricket Board for pursuing a shift away from Test cricket,[1] while others argued the format should have followed the established and successful Twenty20 format. However, the ECB decided it needed a unique format to draw crowds.

It was announced in June 2019 that the side would be named the Welsh Fire, and would be joint run by Glamorgan as well as Somerset and Gloucestershire County Cricket Clubs. It would draw on players from the three counties in the inaugural draft.[2] It had been reported that the side might rename to Western Fire, to allay concerns in Somerset and Gloucester that they were not sufficiently represented by the side, but this did not come to fruition.[3]

In July 2019 the side announced that former South Africa and India coach, and current Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Gary Kirsten as the men's team coach.[4] Kirsten is also rumoured to be in line to succeed Trevor Bayliss as England head coach.[5] The women's side will be managed by Matthew Mott, a former Glamorgan coach and the current Australia women's national cricket team coach.

The inaugural Hundred draft took place in October 2019 and saw the Fire claim Jonny Bairstow as their headline men's draftee, and Katie George as the women's headliner. They are joined by Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Banton, Glamorgan batsman Colin Ingram, and England batter Bryony Smith.[6]

Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc were selected as the flagship £125,000 signings in the first round and are two of the side's three overseas stars, along with Afghanistan's Qais Ahmed.

With Colin Ingram and Tom Banton already occupying the £100,000 slots, Welsh Fire sat out the second round.

Ravi Rampaul and Ben Duckett were selected in the third round for £75,000 and Simon Harmer, along with Qais Ahmed, were bought for £60,000 in the fourth.

Liam Plunkett and Ryan ten Doeschate were the picks in the fifth round for £50,000 and Gloucestershire duo David Payne and Ryan Higgins were selected in the sixth round for £40,000.

Danny Briggs and Leus du Plooy complete the squad, having both been bought for £30,000 in the final round.

The final place in the squad will go to an outstanding performer in next season's Vitality Blast 20-over competition.

Australian Meg Lanning was the next pick for the ladies' team.

Honours

Men's honours

  • The Hundred – 0

Women's honours

  • The Hundred – 0

Ground

The ground's main entrance
Main article: Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground

The Fire men's side play at the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground, in the west of Cardiff city centre. The women's side play at Gloucestershire's Bristol County Ground and Somerset's County Ground, Taunton.

Players

Current squad

Men's side

  • Bold denotes players with international caps.
  •  *  denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
S/N Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batsmen
— Ben Duckett England (1994-10-17) 17 October 1994 (age 29) Left-handed Right-arm off break
— Colin Ingram South Africa (1985-07-03) 3 July 1985 (age 38) Left-handed Right-arm leg break Kolpak registration;
Local Icon player
— Steve Smith Australia (1989-06-02) 2 June 1989 (age 34) Right-handed Right-arm leg break Captain;
Overseas player
— Ryan ten Doeschate Netherlands (1980-06-30) 30 June 1980 (age 43) Right-handed Right-arm medium
All Rounders
— Leus du Plooy South Africa (1995-01-12) 12 January 1995 (age 29) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox Kolpak registration
— Ryan Higgins England (1995-01-06) 6 January 1995 (age 29) Right-handed Right-arm medium
Wicketkeepers
— Jonny Bairstow England (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 34) Right-handed — Centrally Contracted player
— Tom Banton England (1998-11-11) 11 November 1998 (age 25) Right-handed — Local Icon player
Pace bowlers
— David Payne England (1991-02-15) 15 February 1991 (age 33) Right-handed Left-arm fast-medium
— Liam Plunkett England (1985-04-06) 6 April 1985 (age 39) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
— Ravi Rampaul Cricket West Indies (1984-10-15) 15 October 1984 (age 39) Left-handed Right-arm fast-medium Kolpak registration
— Mitchell Starc Australia (1990-01-30) 30 January 1990 (age 34) Left-handed Left-arm fast Overseas player
Spin bowlers
— Danny Briggs England (1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 (age 33) Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox spin
— Simon Harmer South Africa (1989-02-10) 10 February 1989 (age 35) Right-handed Right-arm off break Kolpak registration
— Qais Ahmad Afghanistan (2000-08-15) 15 August 2000 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm leg break Overseas player

Women's side

  • Bold denotes players with international caps.
  •  *  denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
S/N Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batsmen
— Georgia Hennessy England (1996-11-04) 4 November 1996 (age 27) Right-handed Right-arm medium
— Meg Lanning Australia (1992-03-25) 25 March 1992 (age 32) Right-handed Right-arm medium Overseas player
— Sophie Luff England (1993-12-06) 6 December 1993 (age 30) Right-handed Right-arm medium
All Rounders
— Bryony Smith England (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 26) Right-handed Right-arm off break Centrally Contracted player
Wicketkeepers
— Beth Mooney Australia (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 30) Left-handed — Overseas player
Pace bowlers
— Katie George England (1999-04-07) 7 April 1999 (age 25) Left-handed Left-arm medium Centrally Contracted player
— Alex Griffiths Wales (1993-09-06) 6 September 1993 (age 30) Right-handed Right-arm medium
Spin bowlers
— Lauren Filer England (2000-12-22) 22 December 2000 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm off break
— Jess Jonassen Australia (1992-11-05) 5 November 1992 (age 31) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox Marquee player;
Overseas player
— Claire Nicholas Wales (1986-09-08) 8 September 1986 (age 37) Right-handed Right-arm off break

See also


References

  1. ^ sport, The Guardian (28 August 2018). "Virat Kohli gives ECB's 100-ball 'experiment' the thumbs down". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Cardiff Hundred team may drop 'Welsh' from name in favour of 'Western Fire'". ESPN.com. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Cardiff Hundred team may drop 'Welsh' from name in favour of 'Western Fire'". ESPN.com. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ www.uprisevsi.co.uk, upriseVSI. "England and Local Cricket Stars Align for Welsh Fire". Glamorgan Cricket. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Gary Kirsten favourite to succeed Trevor Bayliss as England head coach; to meet ECB today: Report". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  6. ^ "The Hundred: Central contract and local icon 'drafts' explained". ESPNcricinfo. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
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