The Welsh Fire started their existence in The Hundred as the forgotten about alsorans but slowly but surely they look to be getting their act together in the last season or two. Having big name absentees was a problem for them in their early days but having rectified that and recruited players who can play for the franchise and offer the roles they want them to there has been an improvement. On paper this looks to be the strongest Welsh Fire squad so far and with that comes added expectation.
Stats
Last Season: 6th
Captain: Tom Abell
Key Players: Jonny Bairstow & Riley Meredith
Best Odds: 12/1 General
Fixtures
Aug 7: Northern Superchargers (a)
Aug 9: London Spirit (h)
Aug 13: Manchester Originals (h)
Aug 16: Oval Invincibles (a)
Aug 20: Southern Brave (h)
Aug 22: Birmingham Phoenix (a)
Aug 24: Trent Rockets (h)
Aug 28: Southern Brave (a)
Squad
Tom Abell (captain), Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Steve Smith, David Payne, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Paul Walter, Riley Meredith, Chris Green, Saif Zaib, Luke Wells, Stephen Eskinazi, Josh Hull, Mason Crane, Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway
Preview
The Welsh Fire are another team who had a good draft, although they have been a little unlucky with injury in the lead up to the tournament. It remains to be seen how much of Chris Woakes they would have been allowed in the first place but his injury in the Test match means that they won’t see any of him. That makes it all the more important that they have added the Vitality Blast top wicket taker Riley Meredith to this squad and it could mean bigger roles for the likes of Josh Hull and Ajeet Singh Dale.
All eyes will be on the Welsh Fire batting. It hasn’t always come good but we got a reminder of the best of Jonny Bairstow recently when he blasted a century in the Roses clash in the Blast. Stephen Eskinazi has come to form in recent times as has Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Luke Wells. Steve Smith is a huge pick up with the bat but they are likely to need to find a replacement for Tom Abell which is anything but ideal given that he is the captain of this side.
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Betting
I’m already on Riley Meredith to be the leading wicket taker in the tournament and while I would be tempted to back him in the Welsh Fire market because the whole point of being on him outright is because I see him as the leader of this attack, I am worried that an injury would do us in twice, especially in the bowling department where every match is crucial because the difference in overall wickets is obviously much shallower than the runs.
It is over to the batting market for me and while I get why Steve Smith is the favourite, I’d need to know for certain that he is going to open the batting before I can get involved with him. We can be fairly sure that Jonny Bairstow is going to. He’s done it for Yorkshire all summer and did it for the Mumbai Indians at the back end of the IPL season too and so the 7/2 on him to top score, which is almost double the price of a Smith who isn’t necessarily naturally suited to T20 despite his insane record for the Sydney Sixers, appeals a little more. Stephen Eskinazi would appeal if he was definitely the partner for Bairstow at the top of the innings but at the prices and with the knowledge we have I’ll go for Bairstow.
Tips
Back J.Bairstow Top Welsh Fire Tournament Batter for a 2/10 stake at 4.50 with Bet365
