From Australia’s spin star to a newly-acquired England World Cup winner, here’s BBC Sport’s guide to Welsh Fire…
How did they perform last year?
Bairstow was promptly whisked away to play for England and the Fire was extinguished. A run of five straight defeats followed, with an inability to defend a total a continuing theme.
The campaign ended on a high with victory over fellow strugglers London Spirit in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon, but Gary Kirsten’s side will be hoping for better this time around.
For the women’s side, 2021 was a struggle. They were up against it early on after big-name withdrawals in the build-up and back-to-back defeats to start.
There was a brief resurgence with wins over Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles, who went on to win the tournament, but it proved to be a false dawn.
Four losses on the spin to finish left them rock bottom and it is little surprise that significant changes have been made for the new season.
Ones to watch: Tom Banton & Adam Zampa
Losing Bairstow, one of England’s all-time great white-ball batters, so soon before the tournament is a big blow for the Fire, but in Tom Banton they have another boundary-clearing English opener ready to fill the void.
He also has a point to prove after slipping down the pecking order in England’s white-ball side. After a comparatively quiet year or so, Banton has shown signs of the blistering form that saw him rise to prominence with Somerset and then star for Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League.
A maiden first-class century in his last outing against Essex was typically aggressive, featuring six sixes, and now he will be looking to reignite his England career with an explosive showing for the Fire.
If Banton needs an energy boost at any time, Australian coffee connoisseur Adam Zampa will be on hand to help with a speciality brew from ‘The Love Café’.
Opponents should not expect such generosity, with the 28-year-old spinner having become a master of deceiving of batters with subtle changes in pace and flight.
Zampa, a top five-ranked Twenty20 bowler, is not a huge turner of the ball but has canny variations and, after playing a key role with 13 wickets in Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph over the winter, he will be crucial to the Fire’s chances.
Ones to watch: Tammy Beaumont & Rachael Haynes
With change needed after a tough campaign last year, Fire turned to an England World Cup-winning opener to improve their fortunes and drafted Tammy Beaumont in from London Spirit.
As well as providing the ability to take down some of the world’s best bowlers, Beaumont will also take over from Sophie Luff as captain.
The 31-year-old brings over a decade’s worth of international experience to the side, has a fine array of shots and is a livewire in the field.
As part of an all-conquering Australia side, Rachael Haynes has won everything there is to win in women’s cricket, playing a huge part in that success.
A left-hander who can bat in just about any position, Haynes is as capable of anchoring an innings as she is of leading the charge with a boundary blitz.
Australia skipper Meg Lanning has said Haynes “makes my job a lot easier” – if she is valued as highly as that by the leader of the best team in the world, Fire fans have every reason to be excited by what the 35-year-old will bring.
The young guns: Noor Ahmad & Hannah Baker
At just 17, Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad is one of the best up-and-coming bowlers in white-ball cricket.
He has played just one T20 international, but impressed taking four wickets against Zimbabwe.
Gujarat Titans signed him in last year’s IPL auction with one eye on the future and he also played six times for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash.
From speed to spin and, at 18, leg-spinner Hannah Baker is the youngest member of the Welsh Fire women’s squad.
Having played in four games in last summer’s competition after being drafted in as a temporary replacement, she has a chance to showcase her abilities once more this year.
Baker is one of the most exciting spin prospects in the country and has impressed domestically for Central Sparks.
Why they will win The Hundred
There really is some formidable hitting in the men’s team. Even without the headline act in Bairstow, the Fire have a strong batting line-up.
Top domestic players such as Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Sam Hain and Banton are joined by big-hitting franchise league regular David Miller, with the South African having played a starring role in Gujarat Titans’ victory in this year’s Indian Premier League.
It is a similar story in the women’s side. Hayley Matthews returns after a successful stint last summer to join Beaumont and Haynes in a top order to rival any in the competition.
What they possess more than anything though is experience. Matthews may only be 24 but has been an international for a long time, while the arrivals of Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Alex Hartley and Fran Wilson bolster the quota of World Cup winners.
Why they won’t win The Hundred
The seam bowling depth may be a slight concern for the men’s outfit with the options to bowl late in the innings somewhat limited.
There will be a heavy reliance on the domestic players to step up and take those roles and how well they do, especially on days where the batting isn’t firing, could determine how far the Fire can go.
For the women’s team, the main challenge could be getting the new group to gel and find their roles quickly.
While some teams have kept most of last year’s squad together, the Fire have not had that luxury and won’t have long to come up with a winning formula.
