Welsh Fire boasts quality batters and a World Cup-winning coach in their ranks. Jonny Bairstow and Jimmy Neesham are the star attractions of a squad that includes the Vitality Blast 2021 second leading run-scorer Glenn Phillips, Liam Plunkett, Tom Banton, etc. The franchise will miss the services of Bairstow after the first two games as he’s included in England squad for the Test series against India.
Expectations will be high on Banton, who enjoy fearless batting. Banton smashed a 47-ball hundred against Kent in the ongoing Vitality Blast. The 22-year-old will be hoping to score big knocks and seal a place in England’s T20 World Cup squad. Ben Duckett is another player who would be keen to impress. The wicket-keeper has amassed more than 350 runs at a strike rate of 159 in the Vitality Blast.
Uncapped Leus du Plooy is an exciting prospect in the Welsh Fire batting line-up. The left-handed batsman is Derbyshire’s top run-scorer in the Vitality Blast with 395 runs, including a 56-ball 92 against Lancashire. Plooy’s Derbyshire teammate Matthew Critchley and David Lloyd are also amongst runs in the T20 tournament. Meanwhile, Ollie Pope is unlikely to feature in the tournament as the England Test specialist is nursing a thigh injury.
Plunkett will lead Welsh Fire’s bowling unit. However, the veteran pacer hasn’t played many competitive matches lately. Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball and spinner Qais Ahmad will have a huge role to play. The Englishman has 18 wickets to his name in the Vitality Blast, and Qais has been a consistent performer in the shortest format. Left-arm pacer David Payne, too, has been impressive in the Vitality Blast
Squad
Jonny Bairstow, Jimmy Neesham, Liam Plunkett, Tom Banton, Qais Ahmad, Ollie Pope, Jake Ball, Glenn Phillips, Ben Duckett, David Payne, David Lloyd, Ryan Higgins, Josh Cobb, Leus du Plooy, Ian Cockbain, Matthew Critchley
Head coach: Gary Kirsten
Fixtures
| Date |
Home/Away |
Opponent |
Timing (IST) |
| July 24 |
Away |
Northern Superchargers |
10:30 PM |
| July 27 |
Home |
Southern Brave |
11:00 PM |
| July 31 |
Home |
Manchester Originals |
7:00 PM |
| August 2 |
Away |
Oval Invincibles |
11:00 PM |
| August 6 |
Home |
Trent Rockets |
11:30 PM |
| August 9 |
Away |
Birmingham Phoenix |
11:00 PM |
| August 11 |
Away |
Southern Brave |
11:00 PM |
| August 18 |
Home |
London Spirit |
11:00 PM |
*IST: Indian Standard Time
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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