Welsh Fire hoping for early spark in The Hundred

Welsh Fire know their campaigns cannot be slow burners when they get under way in The Hundred today.

A double-header against Northern Superchargers at Headingley sees the women start their bid to go one better than 2024 (15:00 BST) before the men begin their hunt for an elusive play-off spot (18.30 BST).

They then both take to the field in Cardiff for the first time this summer when hosting London Spirit on Saturday.

Captain Tammy Beaumont and the overseas trio of Hayley Matthews, Jess Jonassen and Shabnim Ismail return as the women stick with a familiar plan.

Australian superstar Steve Smith arrives in Cardiff for a first taste of The Hundred as the men try to turn around their fortunes.

The Smith factor

Smith adds stardust and the hope is that he can give his new teammates, now including Glamorgan's Ben Kellaway, a little bit extra while also piling on the runs.

"He's going to bring a huge amount to the team," said captain and Somerset batter Tom Abell.

"His record speaks for itself, he's a great guy and a world-class player who has done it in all formats at the very top level.

"His influence on the team will be huge. He has been the best player in the world for a good number of years and that will hopefully give everyone an extra little bit of confidence.

"Anyone wants Steve Smith in their team, don't they? Luckily he will be playing for us."

The Australian has passed 10,000 runs in Tests, 5,000 in ODIs and 1,000 in international T20s.

"Even Jonny Bairstow, who has played 100 Test matches, is asking what Steve Smith is like to play with," said coach Mike Hussey.

"He will bring a lot to the team, and hopefully a lot of runs, experience and star power."

Fire men missed out on the eliminator on net run rate in 2023 and won just two of six fixtures that beat the weather last year.

It took until the fifth fixture to get a success and Hussey does not want to be playing catch-up this August.

"All the teams are pretty strong so we are going to have to hit the ground running," said the Australian.

"Hopefully we can play some really good cricket, get some confidence going early and then see how we go.

"I don't know how far we can go, we are hoping to go all the way but obviously you need a lot to go your way."

• Smith relishing Hundred experience with Welsh Fire
• Kellaway to grab Welsh Fire chance with both hands

Together, stronger

Fire women have been on the up since the opening years of the competition when they finished one from bottom in 2021 and then propped up the table in 2022.

They were third in 2023 when their eliminator was washed out and then topped the table on run rate last year only to lose the final at Lord's when London Spirit chased down their total off 98 balls.

The call is for more of the same in the bid to go one better.

"It was an outstanding campaign," said captain Tammy Beaumont. "This year there are some really tough teams - on paper anyone can beat anyone - but I hope that the togetherness that we have had for the last few years really shines through again.

"That's been our X-factor that has driven us on and spurred us on to win some tight games."

In a tournament that features stellar talent, boss Gareth Breese agrees that it needs to be a squad effort if Fire are to go one better.

"Last year was a phenomenal experience to get to the final, missing out by two or three balls in the end," said the former West Indies all-rounder.

"Taking each game as it comes and having a real team effort – last year that was the hallmark of our performances.

"Somebody always seemed to step up and put in the performances. Can we put that fight and determination out there?"

Both Fire teams will attempt to do that in Yorkshire before repeating the trick in Cardiff two days later.