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Southern Brave take on Welsh Fire in the first game of the men's Hundred in 2022.
The game is due to start at 7pm BST on Wednesday, August 3.
The Ageas Bowl in Southampton is the stage for the returning champions as they face the team which nominally represent Wales.
Southern Brave bowler Tymal Mills [Getty Images]
Not the easiest question to answer, given neither side has played for 11 months - and since they last did both have changed their setups considerably.
Welsh Fire finished second from bottom in 2021 and have ripped up their squad for the new campaign. Their record of three wins from eight matches came with the worst net run rate in the competition, and a lot will need to be put right in 2022.
Southern Brave had a very different first experience of The Hundred, finishing second in the league stage before beating Birmingham Phoenix in the final.
Southern Brave are without Jofra Archer, whose recovery from elbow surgery is long and laboured. They will also be missing Quinton de Kock, the powerful opening batter and wicketkeeper, for this match. De Kock is having a break after international duty with Souh Africa but should not be away for much more of the competition.
Alex Davies is primed to take on the gloves in de Kock's absence.
For Welsh Fire, there is no David Miller - for similar reasons - or seamer Naseem Shah. There are concerns over other members of the squad, too, though the Fire management is being tight-lipped as to whom.
Jonny Bairstow was due to play in the opening rounds ahead of England's Test series with South Africa but has since opted to sit out to manage his workload.
Fire look batting heavy, and will need plenty of runs on the board if batting first. On the large confines of the Ageas Bowl, how they deal with spin through the middle overs will be crucial. Brave could hand a debut to Rehan Ahmed, the Leicestershire leg-spinner who can rag the ball considerably. Combined with left-arm wrist-spinner Jake Lintott, there is the potential for the visitors to get bogged down.
Welsh Fire's Adam Zampa will come into his own for similar reasons, and will need to get the better of a power-packing middle order of six-hitters which includes the likes of Tim David and Ross Whiteley.
The Ageas Bowl's average score in last year's Hundred was 139, with none of the teams batting first winning. So win toss, chase, win seems to be the default option.
This match has sold out.
The Hundred tickets can be found by visiting the tournament's ticket site, click here.
Dry and pleasant at the Ageas Bowl, with temperatures hovering around 23 Celsius come the start of play, and very little chance of rain.
Check on the full Met Office forecast by clicking here.
Southern Brave: Jofra Archer, Tim David, Alex Davies, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills, Craig Overton, Paul Stirling (replaces Marcus Stoinis while on international duty), James Vince, Ross Whiteley, Rehan Ahmed, Joe Weatherley, Dan Moriarty, Finn Allen, Michael Hogan, James Fuller (temporary replacement for Quinton de Kock)
Welsh Fire: Joe Clarke, Tom Banton, Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah, Sam Hain, Jake Ball, Josh Cobb, Matt Critchley, Ben Duckett, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins, David Payne, Ollie Pope, Jacob Bethell, Noor Ahmad, George Scrimshaw
Welsh Fire batter Jonny Bairstow has opted to sit out of this year's competition to manage his workload [Getty Images]
Southern Brave: James Vince, Finn Allen, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Davies, Tim David, Ross Whiteley, Craig Overton, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Rehan Ahmed, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills
Welsh Fire: Tom Banton, Sam Hain, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins, Josh Cobb, Noor Ahmad, Adam Zampa, George Scrimshaw, David Payne
Unsurprisingly, Southern Brave are heavy favourites with the bookmakers, with a best price of 8/11. If you fancy the outsider, Welsh Fire are available at 6/5 in places.
The latest Oddschecker summary of The Hundred can be found by clicking here.
It's hard to look past Southern Brave, whose depth charts run deeper than the Mariana Trench. Chasing, they have some of the finest finishers in the game. Defending, they have some of the finest death bowlers. Fire, though stronger on paper in 2022, still look thin on the ground in the bowling department and are without two overseas stars. It's a tough ask.
Sky Sports has live coverage of the match on their dedicated cricket channel (Sky 404, Virgin 504)
Now TV offer daily access to Sky Sports for £11.99 or monthly access for £33.99.
BBC Two will also carry live coverage of the opening game of the men's Hundred.
On radio, Test Match Special will have ball-by-ball commentary on 5Live Sports Extra.
The Cricketer will have text commentary of the game as well as post-match analysis and reaction.
Visit The Cricketer's Hundred Hub for the latest news, team guides, competition information, squad listings and analysis.
North America - Willow tv
Caribbean - ESPN
Sub-Saharan Africa - SuperSport
MENA - beIN Sports
Australia - Fox
New Zealand - Spark
Indian Subcontinent - FanCode
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