The Brave, inaugural champions of the Men's Hundred in 2021, had a considerable snap back to reality last season. They were unable to get going consistently and finished seventh.
They were not overly active in the 2023 Hundred draft, though, generally sticking with those who helped them win two years ago.
Southern Brave 2022 Hundred performance
Coming in as defending champions, 2022 was not a season to write home about for the Southern Brave.
17 players were used in their eight matches, underlying their inconsistency. They were not helped that Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer played just four times between them.
Even James Vince could not get going, scoring just 136 runs in eight innings. Alex Davies top-scored with 155 in his eight visits to the crease, with Ross Whiteley scoring 150. Indeed, only Quinton de Kock scored over 100 outside those three.
Embed from Getty ImagesJames Fuller and Jake Lintott were the only bowlers to play all eight matches. with no bowlers hitting double figures in the wicket column.
Lintott was not as effective as he was in the previous edition, while fellow leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed showed potential in his five outings but took just two wickets.
Changes to the Southern Brave squad in the 2023 Hundred draft
Leus du Plooy was the only true signing for the Brave, having impressed for Derbyshire in recent seasons, in the SA20 for Johannesburg Super Kings and at times for Welsh Fire last year.
Tim David and Devon Conway were the other two pickups, but the former has played for the Southampton-based side in both seasons and the latter played in the title-winning season.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey kept hold of most of their key names and will hope the retention of Archer will pay dividends and the England international can prove his fitness throughout the tournament.
Using their 2023 Hundred wildcard picks, the Brave also added young Yorkshire leg-spinner Jafar Chohan as backup to Ahmed, while fellow Yorkshire man Matthew Fisher will add depth to the seam bowling department coming in from Northern Superchargers.
How the Southern Brave 2023 Hundred squad is shaping up
Potential starting XI: James Vince, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Alex Davies, Leus du Plooy, Tim David, Rehan Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Craig Overton, Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills
The signing of du Plooy, who looks like he will effectively come in for Whiteley, looks particularly astute. The batting looks strong, with a number of clever and classy strokemakers mixed in with the power and aggression of Allen and David.
The bowling depth also looks strong, to the extent that should Archer or Mills be absent, they will not be missed as much as they could be. Naturally, Archer will be favourite to join Jordan and Mills to spearhead the pace attack if he is fit.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat being said, Craig Overton had a particularly successful t20 Blast with champions Somerset, showing his worth in the field as well as upfront with the ball. George Garton will be a strong option to provide cutting edge early on and a strong contribution with the bat.
Fuller, top wicket-taker last season, will also be a top option for the Brave again this coming season. He, like Garton and Overton, can do a very solid job with the bat. Realistically, the Brave have six very strong choices for likely four places in the XI.
The big-hitting of David will be available only until 20th August, with New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner due to replace the Australian.
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