Welsh Fire announce retained players list on Deadline Day  

Jonny Bairstow, Tammy Beaumont, Haris Rauf and Hayley Matthews will all be back in action at Sophia Gardens in The Hundred next season with Welsh Fire confirming the retention of 19 players on Deadline Day.

International trio Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail and Georgia Elwiss are also among the names who’ll be back in action for Fire, as well as David Willey and Joe Clarke.

Draft

Nine spots remain to be filled across both the Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams, with the Hundred Draft set to take place on Wednesday 20 March.

Welsh Fire’s fourth season gets underway at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday 25 July against the Manchester Originals, with the home opener at Sophia Gardens against Oval Invincibles on Sunday 28 July.

Welsh Fire Women’s captain Tammy Beaumont said: “We had a great tournament last year, making the Eliminator, so it is really exciting that we have managed to keep hold of eight of that squad.

“The Hundred is a great tournament to play in and the competition was incredibly tight in 2023. I’m confident we can add some more talent in The Hundred Draft and our big aim is going further this season and making it all the way.”

Retained Players  

Welsh Fire Women: Hayley Matthews (O), Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail (O), Tammy Beaumont, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Emily Windsor  

Welsh Fire Men: Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Haris Rauf (O), Tom Abell, Glenn Phillips, David Payne, Luke Wells, Roelof Van der Merwe, Stephen Eskinazi, Chris Cooke 

Tickets for next season go on sale to fans who have previously attended games in The Hundred from 13-27. There will be a priority window open from 9-23 April for fans who sign up in advance at thehundred.com    and tickets go on general sale from 25 April.