How did Welsh cricket fare in 2021?
- Published
Glamorgan won the One-Day Cup in 2021 - their first trophy in 17 years
In 2021 county cricketers were presented with arguably the busiest domestic summer on record.
After a Covid-impacted 2020, the schedule returned to some kind of normality - but with a new addition.
The Hundred, delayed by a year due to the pandemic, occupied the peak slot in the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) calendar: late July to mid-August.
So how did Glamorgan's cricketers fare in 2021 across the four competitions?
Carlson delivers One-Day Cup victory
Where else to start than with Glamorgan's history-making One-Day Cup win?
In nearly six decades of limited-overs cricket, the Welsh county had reached three finals and lost all three - until 2021.
For context, the 50-over competition had taken a backseat in the calendar as The Hundred took the headlines. It was seen as a development competition - to some, an unusual decision for the format in which England are world champions.
The counties were not at full strength and Glamorgan were no exception. They lost several key players in David Lloyd, Colin Ingram, Dan Douthwaite, Chris Cooke and Timm van der Gugten to the 100-ball contest.
They also lost their head coach Matthew Maynard to Welsh Fire, so David Harrison stepped in. Kiran Carlson was captaining a relatively young side for the first time and the pair opted against calling their available Hundred stars back for the final, favouring consistency instead.
Durham, their final opponents, chose to pick their Hundred players. They were well within their rights to do so, of course, but it was Glamorgan's tactic of not wanting to change a winning team that paid off.
The historic Lord's final was moved to Trent Bridge. Everything about the occasion felt different, but the faithful Welsh fans that made the journey to Nottingham were treated to a day to remember.
The image of Glamorgan stalwart Michael Hogan taking the winning wicket before being engulfed by his teammates - some nearly half his age - is one that will live long in the memory.
Off-spinner Andrew Salter was named Player of the Match on the day for his 3-42 and 33 with the bat.
But Glamorgan's unexpected breakthrough star of the tournament was all-rounder Joe Cooke, who finished as the competition's leading wicket-taker and secured his side's place in the final with a six to finish 66 not out against Essex.
Carlson will retain the One-Day Cup captaincy for 2022, unless he is called up by a Hundred franchise. They will be without Nick Selman, who was a consistent run-scorer at the top of the order, but the addition of Hampshire's Sam Northeast could be hugely beneficial for Glamorgan in all three formats.
It is far too soon for talk of retaining their title, but it was an uncontested highlight of Glamorgan's year and to have done it with a relatively young side was particularly pleasing.
Room for improvement in County Championship and T20 Blast
David Lloyd will take over the County Championship and T20 Blast captaincy, while Kiran Carlson will lead for One-Day Cup
Away from the One-Day Cup success, there is a lot for Glamorgan to put right.
In the County Championship, Glamorgan started well on early April-May pitches that offered plenty for the bowlers and resulted in several games being completed within two or three days at Sophia Gardens.
But they concluded the season with three heavy defeats - two by an innings - to finish bottom of the Division Two, having qualified in third place.
There were glimmers of real promise, though, including the early-season form of Carlson (928 runs at 48.84, including three 100s), excelling in his first year of full-time commitment to cricket after graduating university.
Veteran Hogan joins England's James Anderson in proving that age no longer defines a fast bowler's ability, as he completed yet another impressive season that delivered 34 wickets and a best of 5-28 - although his retirement at the end of the year will leave a huge gap in Glamorgan's bowling ranks.
But the batting was the concern in those heavy defeats at the back end of the season. Selman's loss may not be felt as harshly in the four-day format, where he struggled for much of the season, as Eddie Byrom's signing from Somerset becomes permanent.
And Northeast's signing may once again prove crucial stability in the middle order: a proven run-machine at Hampshire and arguably one of his generation's unluckiest players not to have represented England.
Another change will see Lloyd replace Cooke in captaining the red ball and T20 sides, with Carlson his deputy.
The T20 Blast was Glamorgan's most successful competition for many years but 2021 delivered disappointment. Covid played its part in player availability but they would have still expected more than three wins from 12.
It was not a smooth ride in the shortest format - Ingram struggled for form, so often the rock of Glamorgan's white-ball batting. Youngster Roman Walker showed signs of his promise before moving to Leicestershire. Australia's Marnus Labuschagne starred before Covid struck.
As they look to improve in 2022, much will of course depend on those potential Hundred call-ups...
The Hundred makes its mark
Love it or hate it, the England and Wales Cricket Board's [ECB] new format is here to stay. Fun, fast and fireworks galore, its aim was to attract a new audience to cricket, people who would have previously thought cricket is not for them.
It had its critics and its supporters. But the most resounding success was the women's game - whether that was intentional or not.
For the first time, women's domestic teams in England and Wales were on an equal platform to the men. Yes, there were big gaps in salary, but having the same marketing, same kit, same venue, same television platform, same hotels - this was something the country's female cricketers had never experienced before.
So, how did Welsh Fire get on?
In terms of match atmosphere they were hampered by Covid regulations not allowing a sold-out Sophia Gardens. But in their men's final fixture against London Spirit, the noise when Afghanistan's Qais Ahmad hit the winning runs showed there is plenty of support and a fan base to build on when full capacity is reached.
The men's side finished a disappointing seventh from eight, despite an unbeaten start when England's Jonny Bairstow lit up Sophia Gardens with his astonishing power-hitting - including a victory over eventual winners Southern Brave. Following his Test call up, Gary Kirsten's men were struck a hammer blow.
They lacked his firepower and relied heavily on replacement captain Ben Duckett to score the bulk of their runs.
To improve in 2022, they will need to invest in a power-hitter of Bairstow's calibre at the top of the order if they are to work their way up the table.
As for the women, they finished bottom of the table - but that does not tell the full story. Before the competition began they looked one of the strongest sides, with three of the world's best players as their overseas stars.
But surprise, surprise - Covid stepped in.
West Indies' Hayley Matthews starred for Welsh Fire's women in the absence of their original Australian overseas players
Losing the world's best T20 batter in Beth Mooney and arguably one of the world's greatest batters in Meg Lanning would hit any team hard. West Indies' opening batter Hayley Matthews shone at the top of the order, but they lacked further world-class talent that other teams were able to draft in last minute.
England's Katie George had a stellar tournament in the field but a back injury prevented her from bowling.
They will have learned a lot from playing together on the biggest stage and youngsters such as Alex Griffiths and Hannah Baker showed their promise for the future, combined with the experience of Matthews, Sarah Taylor and Sophie Luff.
If restrictions allow Australian players to participate in 2022, the competition will go up a level, particularly in the women's game.
For Glamorgan players involved across the franchises, Lloyd played just once for Welsh Fire, Ingram was inconsistent for Oval Invincibles and Cooke, Douthwaite and Van der Gugten also had limited opportunities at Birmingham Phoenix, Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets.
Analysis - BBC Sport Wales cricket reporter Nick Webb:
"For Glamorgan supporters 2021 will be a year to remember courtesy of the One-Day Cup triumph - their first trophy for 17 years and a first victory in a limited-overs final sparking celebrations for the faithful followers at Trent Bridge.
"The 50-overs competition may have been overshadowed by the razzmatazz of The Hundred, with the final shamefully scheduled on a Thursday just three days after the semi-final. But there was no doubting the joy shown by Glamorgan's mixed bag of old hands and rookies, who managed to defeat Durham and Essex teams missing fewer players to the franchises.
"As for changes in next year's squad, opening bat Nick Selman produced some big innings over the years without being quite consistent enough to satisfy the coaches, while highly promising seamer Roman Walker made a surprise exit in search of more regular chances.
"But the addition of experienced batter Sam Northeast should be a real bonus if he settles, Eddie Byrom will get top-order chances to prove himself, and James Harris can aim to match Michael Hogan's longevity as a leading seamer.
"There will be eager scrutiny of Australia's schedule to check how much of Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser we are likely to see in Wales, while Colin Ingram showed a few signs in the Abu Dhabi T10 of recapturing the form of his earlier years in Glamorgan's coloured kit.
"None of Glamorgan's Hundred players made any real impact in that tournament, so it will be interesting to see which of them is retained or picked elsewhere in the draft.
"Kiran Carlson and Joe Cooke could be contenders for first franchise contracts and, while it would be welcome to see more Welsh involvement with the Welsh Fire men, Glamorgan could be left with a solid base of experience for their defence of the 50-overs title."