ELIZABETH BOTCHERBY takes a look at Fire's player recruitment and suggests what more needs to be done before the start of the new season
Who has been retained?
Eight players have been retained from last year’s squad despite Welsh Fire collecting the wooden spoon.
West Indies allrounder Hayley Matthews and England international Katie George have been retained in the £18,750 salary band while spinner Claire Nicholas is the sole retainee at £15,000.
Western Storm quartet Nicole Harvey, Lauren Filer, Alex Griffiths and Georgia Hennessey and Central Sparks spinner Hannah Baker will also return to Wales in 2022.
Who has been released?
Skipper Sophie Luff has been cut from the Welsh Fire squad alongside Australian pair Georgia Redmayne and Piepa Cleary, and veteran wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, who came out of retirement for the tournament. Taylor is set to spend the 2022 edition working as an assistant coach at Manchester Originals.
England allrounder Bryony Smith, Sunrisers batter Lissy MacLeod, Amy Gordon and wicketkeeper Nat Wraith have also departed.
Hayley Matthews is the one overseas player retained by Welsh Fire
Which areas are well covered?
Welsh Fire have a solid spin attack, spearheaded by Matthews, who took a team-leading 11 wickets and conceded 1.24 runs per ball with her right-arm off-spin.
Nicole Harvey, a leg-spinner, was also miserly, conceding 1.17 runs per ball, and impressed with the ball for Western Storm in 2021, picking up 18 wickets in all competitions. Nicholas, who was on maternity leave during last season’s competition, adds further depth and valuable experience.
Which areas lack cover?
Following the departures of Wraith, Taylor and Redmayne, Welsh Fire are missing a wicketkeeper.
They could also do with strengthening their pace attack. Last season, Hennessey and Griffiths picked up just three wickets, Filer did not make a single appearance and George was unable to bowl due to a back injury, the latest in a long list to plague her career.
Equally concerning is their batting line-up, with only Matthews remaining from last season’s regular top-six. And of the other seven retained players, none of them scored more than 60 runs.
Welsh Fire have a fairly sizeable rebuild on their hands but, rather like Trent Rockets, have the purse to do so, with two spots available in each of the top two salary bands.
Both Lauren Winfield-Hill and Tammy Beaumont are free, which could solve the wicketkeeper-batter conundrum while they only have one international player on their roster at present, which could open up a second approach for Meg Lanning or Beth Mooney. Both Australians were due to represent Welsh Fire in 2021 before withdrawing from the competition.
All in all, the possibilities are quite endless for Welsh Fire and if they recruit well, they could rise from the ashes in 2022.
Squad: Hannah Baker, Lauren Filer, Katie George, Alex Griffiths, Nicole Harvey, Georgia Hennessy, Hayley Matthews, Claire Nicholas (8)
Overseas players: 1
Spaces to fill: 8
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