The Hundred: Welsh Fire's Tammy Beaumont on captaincy, a new start and bouncing back
- Published
The women's competition starts on Thursday, but the men's is already under way - Welsh Fire have lost their two games so far
Welsh Fire's new captain Tammy Beaumont has a challenge ahead of her.
She is new to Cardiff, having made the move from London Spirit, and captaining the team that finished bottom of the women's Hundred table last year - her first cricket since the personal disappointment of missing out on the Commonwealth Games.
But it is a pressure Beaumont is embracing.
She is enjoying a rest day in the Welsh sunshine, a trip to the beach planned with her team-mates and her dog Indie, who is always perched lovingly at her side.
The 31-year-old takes her leadership seriously but calmly, both on and off the pitch.
"I'm really big on taking some time away from cricket," says Beaumont. "We've got a real family vibe in our squad. We've got five kids and our unofficial team dog here, so it's a great thing to have those distractions."
And when it comes to the cricket, it is a new-look Fire team, looking to improve on a difficult first year.
Beaumont is one of the key recruits, not only for her captaincy but as an experienced, aggressive batter at the top of the order.
"There's probably not much expectation on us this year, which means we can just go about our business and play our own way," she says.
"We've got about eight or nine new players so they don't have that history."
Captaincy is not completely new to Beaumont. She has led Kent women and Southern Vipers, but has played for several years under two of England's most successful skippers in Charlotte Edwards and Heather Knight.
But it is something that excites her, an opportunity she felt she could not turn down when it was offered by Welsh Fire.
"It gives me an opportunity to come in, make progress and build something quite special. As a captain I want to empower the players to get the best out of themselves.
"I've been a senior player for England for a while, and been involved in leadership groups. I've not necessarily thought about captaining England but it's a skill I really want to develop during The Hundred."
Tammy Beaumont played for London Spirit in the first edition of The Hundred before signing for Welsh Fire as captain
With the women's competition starting later than the men's this year due to the Commonwealth Games, Beaumont is confident the game can build on its ground-breaking start in 2021.
After a Covid-impacted first year, the players are able to have their families stay and several of the world's best players from Australia are involved - including Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey and Rachael Haynes joining Beaumont at Welsh Fire.
"It is amazing for the young players to be able to learn from the best in the world," she added.
"Particularly for me, from a leadership point of view, Rachael Haynes has so much experience as Australia's vice-captain. Unfortunately for us it does always seem to be the Aussies pioneering, but it'll change eventually!"
And change does seem to be materialising.
There was shock when Beaumont herself, one of the first names on an England team sheet in recent years, was left out of the squad selected for the Commonwealth Games, where the team eventually came fourth.
While she admits she was "gutted" to miss out on the Games, Beaumont is able to see the positives and credits The Hundred, as well as the new regional professional contracts, for what it has done for young, up-and-coming players.
"The players of my era, we'd get into the England team from doing well at our county and actually, we might not hit the ground running," she said.
"It would take a good few years of being in and out of the team and working on your game to get back in.
"But now, Issy Wong, Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp - they've all played regional cricket and they're straight in at international level and performing straight away.
"And that's because they're used to playing in things like The Hundred, in front of big crowds and with the camera shoved in their face all the time. They know what to expect, there's no such thing as an easy game, you have to earn it."
But Beaumont is a resilient character. She is determined to force her way back into England's Twenty20 squad, but for now she is focused on the job in front of her.
"I've just got to go out there and show what I can do," she added. "When it comes to playing for Welsh Fire it'll just be about winning the game that's in front of me - just in a different colour to usual."
A change in signings, a change in captain and Australian superstars in their ranks - but will it result in a change in Welsh Fire's fortunes?
Tammy Beaumont is determined to make it happen.