The Hundred: David Payne aims to 'turn around' Welsh Fire's fortunes
- Published
David Payne will concentrate on Gloucestershire duties before The Hundred competition in August, 2023
Welsh Fire's David Payne is determined to "turn around" the side's torrid results in the Hundred after being retained for 2023.
Last year Welsh Fire lost all eight games to finish at the bottom of the table.
Their fortunes were not much better in the inaugural year 12 months prior, finishing seventh out of eight teams.
Welsh Fire have made major changes for the third instalment, retaining just six of the maximum 10 players allowed.
England's Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope return, along with fellow batter Joe Clarke, with fast bowlers George Scrimshaw, Jake Ball and Gloucestershire's Payne also retained.
"I'm not going to lie, it wasn't a straight-forward decision. The last two years haven't been easy," Payne said.
"Even though it's been a couple of bad years, it creates an opportunity to turn it around. I think that's what excites me about retaining.
"I want to show that it's just been a couple of bad years and it can actually be a lot better. That was the main reason I wanted to stay."
While Welsh Fire are set to have a new-look squad for 2023, former Australia batter Michael Hussey has also been brought in as men's head coach to replace Gary Kirsten.
Nicknamed "Mr Cricket", Hussey was England's assistant coach in the recent T20 World Cup.
He has also coached Australia and with both Sydney Thunder and Chennai Super Kings in franchise tournaments.
"His cricket credentials obviously speak for itself," Payne added. "You bring a guy like that in, it's always going to be exciting.
"He's recently worked with the England boys at the T20 World Cup and from what I've heard, they got on really well with him.
"It's going to be intriguing to see what he brings as a head coach, what energy he brings and what ideas he has. I'm just really looking forward to working with him."
One of the criticisms of Welsh Fire in the first two seasons of the competition has been its lack of connection with the fanbase.
Since the tournament's formation, the franchise have won just two games out of eight at Sophia Gardens.
"It's so difficult for fans to support a side that are always losing. They're doing their best to support you, but ultimately, they want to see results," said Payne.
"That's going to be priority number one, building a team that will actually start winning and putting points on the board. Then, I'm sure the affiliation with the fans can grow stronger and stronger.
"One thing we do need to nail down is how we play in Cardiff and turning Sophia Gardens into a bit of a fortress. If you win those four home games, then you're always going to be in a good position."