Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball) – 25/07/24
Competiton – Women’s Hundred
Ground – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Head Coach – Gareth Breese
Captain – Tammy Beaumont
2023 Finish – 3rd
Order of Content – The Draft & Construction of Squad, 2023 Season & What To Expect, The Squad, My Starting XI, Players To Watch, The Leadership, The Schedule & Where To Watch, Tickets.
The Draft & Construction of Squad
2023 saw a year of significant changes to the Fire squad, in a season which saw them make the Eliminator. After the successes of last year, there was much less to do regarding the 2024 squad for Gareth Breese and his team. The first stage of squad building is retention: in the retention stage of the squad formulation, sides have the option to retain up to eight of their 2023 squad. Unsurprisingly, Fire opted to use all eight available slots. First on the list was overseas duo Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail. West Indies skipper Matthews scored 134 runs in the 2024 edition and took a wicket as her season was cut short and South African Ismail topped the wicket taking charts with 11. The England opening duo of Beaumont and Dunkley were next, Scotland’s wicketkeeping bat Sarah Bryce followed and then finally the Southern Vipers trio of Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies and Emily Windsor completed the eight.
After retention comes The Draft, with sides having to fill any remaining gaps in their top 13 salary bands. Due to their third place finish, Fire had the sixth pick of the draft but they had to wait for the next round of selection owing to filling both of their highest salary bands. Their turn finally came and they used it to select Aussie spinner Jess Jonassen. The domestic group of Phoebe Franklin, Ella McCaughan, Claire Nicholas and Alex Griffiths were next to join and for some rejoin the squad for 2024.
This left Fire with two slots to fill in their lowest two salary bands, done a few months after the March draft in the Vitality Wildcard Draft, which allows domestic form to be rewarded. Welsh Fire opted to sign Central Sparks spin maestro Georgia Davis and rapid Sunrisers bowler Kate Coppack, therefore completing their squad.
Since the conclusion of player selection, Western Storm’s Claire Nicholas has had to pull out of the tournament with Diamond’s Beth Langston coming in to replace her, making her long-awaited return to the tournament following a significant period out through injury.
2023 Season & What To Expect
The 2023 season saw a team new born for the Welsh Fire and their commitment to head coach Gareth Breese paying off. Breese had led the team to an eighth placed 2021 campaign which saw two wins from eight and an eighth placed 2022 campaign with just one win from six. Retaining just eight players from their 2022 campaign, Breese and Fire were looking for a fresh start. They certainly achieved that through their quick-paced cricket, with 5 wins from the seven game rain allowed them with a hat-trick and century along the way, they secured their place in the Eliminator against Northern Superchargers with a third place finish. Unfortunately however, they didn’t get their fairy tale ending with rain controversially cutting the Eliminator short and automatic qualification handed to Superchargers owing to their higher placed finish in the group stage.
The further strengthening of their squad for 2024 in the spin bowling department with the editions of Aussie superstar Jess Jonassen and domestic star Georgia Davis further bolsters their attack. The retention of their three highest run scorers; Beaumont, Dunkley and Matthews means they arguably have the strongest batting lineup in the tournament, owing to recent success domestically, internationally and Hundred form. For me, this 2024 squad has it all: genuine experience and skill, young talent, batting firepower, flair with ball and much more. I can genuinely see them going all the way this season, especially owing to the point they have to prove following the disappointing end to their 2023 campaign.
The Squad
Hayley Matthews (o), Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail (o), Tammy Beaumont, Jess Jonassen (o), Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Phoebe Franklin, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Beth Langston*, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Davis, Kate Coppack.
*Replaced Claire Nicholas before the tournament began
My Starting XI
Tammy Beaumont (C)
Sophia Dunkley
Hayley Matthews
Sarah Bryce (WK)
Phoebe Franklin
Georgia Elwiss
Jess Jonassen
Beth Langston
Freya Davies
Georgia Davis
Shabnim Ismail
Bench – Coppack, Griffiths, McCaughan & Windsor.
Players To Watch
Star Player: Shabnim Ismail
Ismail, the fastest bowler in the history of the women’s game is quite the retention opportunity for the Fire. After joining the side from Oval Invincibles in 2023 following limited playing opportunities, the 35-year-old took 11 wickets, topping Fire’s tallies. The highlight of her tournament had to be her game winning hat-trick against the Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston. Last season saw her break the 80mph barrier and with no signs of slowing down, paired with her recent retirement from the international game to prioritize franchise cricket, Ismail could reach even greater heights, figures and speeds in the 2024 season and is definitely one to watch.
Young Talent: Sarah Bryce
The Scottish wicket-keeper batter comes into the tournament off the back of quite a significant 2024 season. The Summer with historic qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh with Scotland and was followed by a first Charlotte Edwards Cup (T20) victory with her Regional side Blaze. Her individual success has been just as significant with 466 runs and 21 dismissals for her sides across formats. Her quick work behind the stumps, combined with her firepower with bat in hand could make a genuine difference to the success of Fire’s 2024 campaign.
Special Mention: Sophia Dunkley
Sophia Dunkley has had a rollercoaster 2024 season. Dropped from the England squad after a run of poor form she returned to Regional cricket where she represented South East Stars. It’s safe to say she found her lost form, with 366 runs for the side across formats, prompting her recent return to the English national side. Her 2023 Hundred story was one full of success, leading Fire at the top of the order with 262 runs during the tournament, the second most successful of any Fire batter.
The Leadership
Tammy Beaumont (Captain)
Tammy Beaumont has been through it all with this Fire side. An edition to the squad in the 2022 season and assigned role as captain that same season she led the side through a difficult 2022, with just one win coming from their sixth games and a last placed finish. In 2023, this time with a point to prove following her deselection from the England T20 squad Beaumont was firing on all fronts as she led her side with both bat and tactically to the Eliminator. She scored 290 runs during the campaign including an incredible 118 vs Trent Rockets, the highest score in history of both the women’s and men’s tournament and the first century in the women’s.
Gareth Breese (Coach)
Gareth Breese has had quite the journey as Fire head coach. The former West Indian cricketer has plenty of experience in women’s cricket coaching, his current position as England Women’s Assistant Coach speaks volumes of that fact. He was appointed to Fire in 2021 and in an unsuccessful season led his side to just two wins and a bottom of the table finish. Unfortunately, the 2022 story was similar with another last place season and just one win. 2023 saw a shift however, tactically and with the players within his squad as he led Fire to the eliminator, only to be knocked out due to weather conditions. With 2024 his fourth year in charge and working with a number of these Fire players I wouldn’t put it past him to overcome the adversity and disappointment faced in 2023 for a first placed finish this time around.
The Schedule & Where To Watch
*Home games indicated in bold*
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time (BST) | Coverage (UK) |
| Thu 25th July | Manchester Originals | Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
| Sun 28th July | Oval Invincibles | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports & BBC Two/iPlayer |
| Thu 1st August | London Spirit | Lord’s, London | 11:30 AM | Sky Sports |
| Sat 3rd August | Trent Rockets | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | 2:30 PM | Sky Sports |
| Mon 5th August | Southern Brave | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 3:00 PM | Sky Sports |
| Thu 8th August | Northern Superchargers | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 11:30 AM | Sky Sports |
| Sat 10th August | Birmingham Phoenix | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 2:30 PM | Sky Sports |
| Wed 14th August | Southern Brave | Utilita Bowl, Southampton | 11:30 AM | Sky Sports |
Eliminator – Saturday 17th of August @ The Oval, 2.15pm – Sky Sports, BBC Two & BBC iPlayer
Final – Sunday 18th August @ Lord’s, 2.15pm – Sky Sports, BBC Two & BBC iPlayer
Tickets
https://www.thehundred.com/tickets?matches=group
Join in with the action! Tickets start at £5 for Juniors and £11 for Adults in the group stage. After all, every ball counts!
