Our Prediction
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Welsh Fire is going to be without Jonny Bairstow, who has pulled out of the Hundred and left a massive hole in their batting lineup
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Southern Brave has a better-balanced team
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Southern Brave has a superior bowling lineup
Cricket's newest format, the Hundred, is about to kick off and there is a lot of excitement around it. The playing format is quick and is broken down into balls rather than overs. The basics of the game remain the same but it has proven to be an innovative concept that will push the game even further.
The first match of the Hundred 2022 is going to be played between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire. All of the cricket betting sites have Southern Brave as their favorite to win this match. Let us take a look at the two teams in detail and see if that is indeed where your money should be.
Southern Brave is the defending champions after an excellent inaugural season saw it flex its muscles. Most of the squad from last season has been retained and so the team obviously goes in as a pre-tournament favorite. The bowling attack for Southern Brave is a bit of a concern. George Garton and Tymal Mills, two players that did very well last season, are coming into the Hundred 2022 in poor form. That will put additional pressure on Chris Jordan as well as the all-rounders. Jake Lintott or Rehan Ahmed could find a place in the playing eleven, depending on the team balance, both providing a mystery-spin option.
Welsh Fire finished 7th out of 8 teams in 2021. That has led to a complete squad revamp ahead of the Hundred 2022 and the team will be hoping for a very different kind of result. A look at their new set of players suggests that the batting order is quite powerful with some excellent options available to them. Joe Clarke, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, and David Miller could all find a place in the playing eleven for the first match. The batting order is going to have to be flexible because most of the players prefer batting in the top-2 or three and that is simply not possible. Naseem Shah, George Scrimshaw, and David Payne are all decent bowlers but not the kind that are going to win you too many small format matches. We question the balance of this team as only banking on big hitters is not going to be enough.
