Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire Prediction: Reigning Champions Brave look for a hot start

The Hundred is a revolution in many ways. While there are tournaments like T10 that last for 10 overs, this 100 balls affair takes the “over” terminology out of the equation and we have 100 deliveries in the contest. The first Edition saw riveting viewing numbers and there is no doubt that this format has attracted the attention of many major players. Last season, Southern Brave won the cup, here, they will face off against Welsh Fire.

The Southern Brave is made for a competition like The Hundred. With the flamboyant top-order of Quinton de Kock and Finn Allen, the chances of going on a sky-high pace while batting remains high. Quinton averaged around 50 in the last season’s competition while hitting it big like he usually does. James Vince, Alex Davies, and Tim David form a solid middle-order trio while Marcus Stoinis can also eke out a spot. The question is what combinations will Southern Brave use to begin the season after Stirling’s departure?

In terms of bowling, the presence of Tymal Mills was the difference-maker last season, he was both controlling the run flow and was also striking at regular intervals. Chris Jordan also brings strong death bowling along with great fielding chops. Craig Overton brings great height to the equation and alongside George Garton and the sole spinner Jake Lintott, the bowling looks scrappy and well-balanced.

Welsh Fire surprisingly finished last in the table last season and their batting was not clicking at all for most parts. This is astonishing considering they have one of the heaviest hitters Johnny Bairstow who couldn’t capitalize on a solid start and now with him skipping the tournament, things can get even more complicated. Ben Duckett can be an effective opener but it will be up to 23-year-old clean hitter Tom Banton to carry the load. The middle order is much improved now with the inclusion of stalwart hitter David Miller, a type of player that the team needed last season.

On the bowling side, Naseem Shah has been the major import from Pakistan who adds pace and sizzle to the squad as a young un. Jake Ball brings a brisk pace too, but he will need to be more accurate. Afghanistan’s left wrist spinner Qais Ahmad is another foreign import but let us see if he is able to improve the bowling this season. Adam Zampa is sure to get his run as the leading spinner and he can help the team in a lot of ways. The challenge for Welsh Fire is identifying a combination that can provide some strike bowling early on.

The difference between Welsh Fire and Southern Brave last season was the ability to make sure that the Brave was able to find combinations that worked in long term rather than a couple of games. Welsh Fire has revamped the team and just the inclusion of David Miller bolsters their squad significantly. However, will that be enough against the reigning champions Brave? I believe Brave will begin from where they left off and this will be a high-scoring game.