Phil Salt is a Welsh fire captain in The Hundred from Barbados

Highest run scorer, two-time finalist: Salt has pedigree in The Hundred.

The Welshman reached the final with Manchester Originals in 2022 and 2023 – but believes he can go one step further by reigniting a dormant Welsh fire.

The Cardiff-based team is the worst-performing franchise in the tournament’s brief history, with both the men’s and women’s teams finishing rock bottom last year.

Neither team has won the tournament and the men have yet to reach the playoffs, but with Tech billionaire Sanjay Govil is buying a 50% stake in the team for £40 million There is hope that this year may be different.

“Historically, the Welsh Fire haven’t done that well, they haven’t given the fans much to get excited about, but I see this as a good opportunity to change something. It excites me,” Salt said.

Speaking at a Compare The Market event for The Hundred, Salt said the Sophia Gardens pitch with dressing room music by indie-rock band Blossoms should be conducive to scoring high runs.

Two other 2026 recruits – Glamorgan duo Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe – will bring that local knowledge and a Welsh heartbeat to the squad.

“We got a lot of experience in the dressing room,” Salt said.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the wicket – looking at Glamorgan’s scores this season, it looks like a really good place to play cricket.

“We have to start fast, and play a lot of front-foot, attacking cricket.

“Can we win the competition? Of course. I don’t see why not.”