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- The Hundred: Big Changes For Welsh Fire
By Alex Bywater
Welsh Fire’s men and women’s sides for The Hundred which starts later this month have been forced into some late changes due to Covid-19 withdrawals.
The men’s team has been reinforced by two players from World Test Championship winners New Zealand in Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Phillips will play the first four games for the men until big-hitting allrounder Kieron Pollard arrives from West Indies duty.
Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson will miss the entire competition with all-rounder Jimmy Neesham brought in to play Fire’s first three games as cover.
On the women’s team, Australia captain Meg Lanning has also withdrawn.
She is one of a number of withdrawals by overseas players no longer able to play in the inaugural year of the tournament due to Covid-19 and the rescheduling of international fixtures.
Lanning will be replaced by South Africa spinner Sune Luus.
The women’s team will also be without both Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham who are replaced by fellow Australians Georgia Redmayne and Piepa Cleary.
There is also a change of coach for the Welsh Fire women’s squad.
Matthew Mott has been replaced by Western Storm head coach Mark O’Leary.
He will be supported by Lightning head coach Rob Taylor and Leeds/Bradford MCCU head coach Andrew Lawson as assistants with the Cardiff-based franchise.
Glamorgan head coach Matthew Maynard is taking an assistant’s role with the Welsh Fire men’s side working with legendary former South African batsman Gary Kirsten.
The new short-form 100-ball-a-side cricket competition was due to start in 2020 but was postponed because of the global pandemic.
Both men’s and women’s Welsh Fire teams will begin their campaign against Northern Superchargers at Headingley on Saturday, July 24.
