The Hundred: Meet Southern Brave
- Published
Danni Wyatt and Tymal Mills are two of Southern Brave's stars
They're coached by two greats of the game and their overseas players would strike fear into any opposition. Here's BBC Sport's guide to Southern Brave.
The coaches: Two of the greatest to play the game
Southern Brave are in the hands of two all-time greats, Mahela Jayawardene and Charlotte Edwards
Brave's men's side will be led by Sri Lanka great Mahela Jayawardene, widely regarded as one of his country's finest players and captains.
In an illustrious career he played 149 Tests and almost 450 ODIs for Sri Lanka, and was also a T20 World Cup winner in 2014.
As a coach, it is his Indian Premier League (IPL) experience that is the most notable on his CV, having been in charge of the dominant Mumbai Indians since 2017.
In his first stint as coach they won the title, followed by repeat victories in 2019 and 2020.
Charlotte Edwards is England women's most-capped player and highest run-scorer, and holds numerous other records from her 19-year international career.
Edwards made the transition from playing to coaching when she became director of women's cricket at Hampshire, before becoming head coach of the Southern Vipers in the women's regional set-up - the team with which she won the Kia Super League (KSL) in 2016.
Ones to watch - Deceptive Danny and scintillating Colin
Brave have plenty of power with bat and ball
Warwickshire's Danny Briggs may seem like a bit of a wildcard pick, but we all love an underdog and Briggs could really have a big part to play for the Brave.
He is the all-time leading wicket taker in the T20 Blast, and is vastly experienced in the shortest format all around the UK. He'll know the grounds, the conditions and the players - and with little overseas experience, the overseas players won't know him.
Rather more familiar is New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme, who has replaced Andre Russell.
De Grandhomme strikes the ball far and is a useful bowler. Not to mention his incredible hair...
He's been in good form in county cricket, hitting 174* against Surrey for Hampshire earlier this month.
Ones to watch - Delightful Dunkley and majestic Mandhana
Sophia Dunkley and India's Smriti Mandhana will provide the batting power for the women's side
Smriti Mandhana was one of the first Indian players to play in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) and has experience playing in England too - Western Storm reached the final of the 2018 KSL largely thanks to Mandhana's blistering starts at the top of the order.
England's Sophia Dunkley could probably be a contender for the 'young gun' spot but such is her talent, she will be expected to play a very significant role for the Brave.
Fresh off a Test debut where she made 74 not out and an ODI debut soon after, Dunkley is the future of England women's cricket.
Young guns - George Garton and Lauren Bell
Speedsters George Garton and Lauren Bell are two of the Brave's young prospects
It's two quick bowlers that we've chosen here: Sussex's left-arm paceman George Garton and Southern Vipers' tall seamer Lauren Bell.
Garton has been on England's radar for a while and is part of their squad for the current ODI series against Sri Lanka.
In 2018 he suffered a freakish injury - a side strain while picking up his baggage from an airport carousel - but has come back strongly. He's only played 28 T20s for Sussex so far but already has 33 wickets, a best of 4-16 and an impressive average of 18.45.
With his experienced team-mate Tymal Mills also being a left-arm quick, it'll be a tough bowling attack to get into but there's no doubt Garton could have a big impact if he does.
Lauren Bell, who is just 20 years old, is another who has been in England's sights for a while. Nicknamed 'The Shard' because of her height, Bell spent a large part of the 2020 summer in England's 'bubble'.
It's often said that genuine pace is lacking in the women's game but Bell has it - and with her height she can generate some really awkward bounce for batters, too.
Why Southern Brave will win The Hundred
Paige Scholfield can add some power hitting at the end of an innings for the Brave
The men's team will win The Hundred because of the variety in their bowling - and that's a big claim when they have the likes of Quinton de Kock and Andre Russell in the batting line-up!
Their bowling is not only varied but experienced as well. Jofra Archer's availability is bound to be limited but even if you take him out their attack is still strong: Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills have the skill and variation, Craig Overton and George Garton have the pace, while Danny Briggs, Liam Dawson and Max Waller are very experienced spinners on the county circuit.
The women's team will win The Hundred because of their power hitters. They still have spaces to fill in their squad, but in Smriti Mandhana and West Indies' Stafanie Taylor, they have two of the women's game's biggest hitters of a cricket ball.
Southern Vipers' Paige Scholfield has a lot of KSL experience where she's showcased her quick scoring, and her fellow Viper Maia Bouchier is a very exciting England Academy prospect who can score all around the ground.
Why they won't win The Hundred?
Southern Brave boast plenty of power with both bat and ball
If anyone can give us a reason as to why Brave's men's team won't win The Hundred, that would be appreciated.
There are no obvious weak links - you could argue that their spinners haven't had much experience in T20 leagues around the world, but on paper they definitely look like they have all their bases covered.
Their women's team probably lacks a bit of firepower with the ball as it stands. Lauren Bell is quick but still raw, while Anya Shrubsole may not play every game.
The rhyming pair, spinner Fi Morris and left-armer Tara Norris, are both very capable professionals for Western Storm and Southern Vipers respectively but you wouldn't say either could really change a game with regularity, or have the batters hopping around their crease like a Katherine Brunt.