The Analysis: Welsh Fire's tribulations are an uncomfortable part of the process

NICK HOWSON: A woeful bowling and fielding display allowed Southern Brave to saunter to the highest score in the women's Hundred. But it shouldn't be forgotten that this is a learning experience for everyone

welshfire110801-min

"It’s going to be some of the best players in England and will create an opportunity for fringe and young players to show what they can do," England captain Heather Knight told the i newspaper before the women's Hundred.

"Every game’s going to be under pressure and under scrutiny, so it’s going to be really interesting how players react to that, because it’s very similar to how international cricket is.

"Players who have done well in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint [Trophy], can they do the same in a slightly higher quality, more scrutinised competition?"

The benefits the women's game can garner from The Hundred are limitless. Increased exposure, which includes free-to-air broadcasts, and achieving gender equality are among the chief targets which Beth Barrett-Wild, who heads up the competition for the ECB, has set.

Among the others is building depth in the upper-echelons of the game. Alongside 24 overseas stars and 17 centrally contracted England players, this is a unique chance for many of the new 41 domestic pros and those part-time players to test themselves at a new level.

hundredbanner230221

Though a deluge of Australia World Cup winners pulled out of the tournament due to Covid, this is still as high-calibre a competition you're likely to find on the women's landscape. As Knight describes, this is a stellar tournament with an international cast.

Some will swim while others may inevitably sink. But that is all part of the process. The Hundred provides an opportunity for growth, development and above all else for everyone to learn. It isn't always going to be pretty.

And that would be a fair description of the Welsh Fire display at The Ageas Bowl, where they went down to a heavy defeat to Southern Brave, who are now bound for the final, to tumble out of the competition with a game to spare.

In conceding a tournament-record 166 from 100 deliveries, the Fire put together the worst display in the field we've seen across either tournament. Oval Invincibles men against Birmingham Phoenix the other night also comes to mind.

hundred-2021-squad-lists-graphic

Smriti Mandhana hit 78 but she had five lives along the way. Alex Griffiths spilt her off the fifth ball, Piepa Cleary overstepped before having her caught at mid-off, Sarah Taylor failed to pick up a top edge in time and the former England 'keeper put down a tough chance behind the stumps too.

The only positive to Nicole Narvey missing a caught and bowled opportunity, probably the toughest of the bunch, with the India batter on 46, is coach Mark O'Leary may have stopped watching by that point.

The bowling display lacked discipline. Griffiths was sent packing to the boundary three times during her single set of five. Cleary conceded five fours and bowled three wides as well as that fatal no-ball.

Georgia Hennessy missed the pitch with a delivery that got caught in her grasp and on top of the dropped catches, there were ground fielding errors like Griffths' on the boundary.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Ebony Rainford-Brent said: "If I were Mark O'Leary I would be tearing my hair out. The reason I say that is you don't mind if your field placings as off, or if your catching is a little bit off but everything was going wrong. 

harveyhennesseytaylor110801-min

Harvey, Hennessy and Taylor had days to forget

"It was drop after drop, the no-balls, the misfields. There is too much going on. It can get like that when a team gets into a rut. 

"They're going to have to go away and have a real rethink. They've got to find a way in that side to lift their standard because it is not good enough."

It was hoped that with a healthy contingent of Western Storm players, where O'Leary is the head coach and was part of the backroom team during the 2019 Kia Super League title success, that the transition to The Hundred would be serene. They now face a battle to ensure they don't finish at the bottom of the pile.

There is no need to over-criticise afternoons like these. They are inevitable in the early days of this competition in its current format.

The litmus test will be how quickly individuals learn from the experience. We can't expect them to become world-class overnight, but signs of progression as the summers progress, evidence that domestic players are evolving and maturing, is the key.

Comments

No comments received yet - Be the first!

LATEST NEWS

STAY UP TO DATE Sign up to our newsletter...
SIGN UP

Thank You! Thank you for subscribing!

Units 7-8, 35-37 High St, Barrow upon Soar, Loughborough, LE128PY

website@thecricketer.com

Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.