The Hundred: Welsh Fire’s Tammy Beaumont on captaincy, a new start and bouncing back

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.