The Hundred Tournament - Men’s and Women’s: Discussion, News, Squads, Previews

[MenInG]

Updates confirmed ahead of The Hundred Draft

The following updates to the player list for The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, have been confirmed.

There are a number of new entrants to the list – including Richa Ghosh, Tamim Iqbal, Sneh Rana, Ben Foakes and Iftikhar Ahmed. Overseas players including Mitchell Starc, Megan Schutt, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram and Tayla Vlaeminck will no longer be available for selection in The Hundred Draft

Annabel Sutherland has decided to withdraw from the competition. As she was previously a retained player for Welsh Fire, they will have pick number 48 in The Hundred Draft.

The Hundred Draft will be live on Sky Sports at 4pm on Thursday 23 March.

Men’s Overseas Players

Ref OV001 Shakib Al Hasan – reserve price changed to £100k
Ref OV002 Kieron Pollard – reserve price changed to £100k
Ref OV002 Litton Das – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV003 Mitchell Starc – removed from list
Ref OV012 Anrich Nortje – removed from list
Ref OV013 Jhye Richardson – removed from list
Ref OV033 Aiden Markram – removed from list
Ref OV050 Marchant de Lange – removed from overseas list and added to domestic (reserve price £50k)
Ref OV061 Matthew Short – Reserve price changed to no reserve
Ref OV067 Eathan Bosch – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV067 Matt Breetzke – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV073 Oliver Davies – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV081 Reeza Hendricks – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV091 Duanne Olivier – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV104 Jordan Silk – Reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV105 Lutho Sipamla – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV107 Tristan Stubbs – removed from list
Ref OV112 Hardus Viljoen – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV114 Lizaad Williams – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref OV036 Mitchell Santner – reserve price changed to £50k
Ref OV369 Tamim Iqbal – New entrant to list (£60k reserve)
Ref OV370 Ahmad Shahzad – New entrant to list (£50k reserve)
Ref OV371 Iftikhar Ahmed – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV372 Qasim Akram – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV373 Mir Hamza – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV374 Muhammed Ilyas – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV375 Aayan Khan – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV376 Dominic Drakes – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV377 Shoriful Islam – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV378 Tayyab Tahir – New entrant to list (No Reserve)

Men’s Domestic Players

Ref D007 Graeme van Buuren – reserve price changed to No Reserve
Ref D253 Ben Aitchison – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D253 Marchant de Lange – New entrant to list (£50k reserve)
Ref D253 Laurie Evans – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D254 Luis Reece – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D254 George Bartlett – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D255 Finlay Bean – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D256 Ben Foakes - New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D257 Tom Prest – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D258 Luke Procter – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref D259 Thilan Walallawita – New entrant to list (No Reserve)


Women’s Overseas Players

Ref OV006 Suzie Bates - reserve price changed to £18,750
Ref OV008 Megan Schutt – removed from list
Ref OV009 Amanda-Jade Wellington – reserve price changed to £18,750
Ref OV035 Erin Burns – removed from list
Ref OV039 Nicola Carey – removed from list
Ref OV074 Hayley Jensen– removed from list
Ref OV092 Megan McColl – removed from overseas list and added to domestic list
Ref OV141 Elyse Villani – removed from list
Ref OV142 Tayla Vlaeminck - removed from list
Ref OV149 Tuba Hassan – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV150 Javeria Khan – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV151 Sadia Iqbal – New entrant to list (No Reserve)
Ref OV152 Ayesha Naseem – New entrant to list (£31,250 reserve)
Ref 0V153 Renuka Thakur – New entrant to list (£31,250 reserve)
Ref OV154 Richa Ghosh – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref OV155 Yastika Bhatia – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref O156 Sneh Rana – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref OV157 Meghana Sabbhineni – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref OV159 Radha Yadav – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref OV161 Meghana Singh – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref 0162 Harleen Deol – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)
Ref OV163 Armanjot Kaur – New entrant to list (£18,750 reserve)

Women’s Overseas Retained Players

Annabel Sutherland withdrawn as a retained player Welsh Fire will have pick number 48 in the Draft.

Women’s Domestic Players

Ref D081 Tara Norris – removed from list.
Ref D102 Alexa Stonehouse – removed from list

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam pick of the fans for today's 100 draft

 

[MenInG]

Draft starting now.

First Womens.

 

[Saj]

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been signed by Welsh Fire for this season's Hundred tournament.

Nasser Hussain "He's just won the PSL. He's worked on his batting, he's smashing it out the ground. He's a serious bowler, new ball bowler. Shaheen Shah Afridi in The Hundred - Box Office"

 

[Saj]

Haris Rauf has been signed by Welsh Fire for this season's Hundred tournament

 

[Saj]

Ihsanullah has been signed by Oval Invincibles for this season's The Hundred Tournament

 

[Rana]

Who picked Babar and Rizwan?

 

[Saj]

Pakistani players picked for this year’s The Hundred Tournament:

Shaheen Shah Afridi – Welsh Fire
Haris Rauf – Welsh Fire
Shadab Khan – Birmingham Phoenix
Ihsanullah – Oval Invincibles

 

[Osama Shafeeqe]

No Babar Azam! A wake up call to him, he has improved his strike rate in this PSL but he needs to be able to be consistently aggressive in his attitude and performance. The fact that the likes of Conway were picked over him should be an embarrassment for him.

 

[Rana]

Na Kar yar? Babar Azam not picked??

 

[Saj]

Nasser Hussain "Ihsanullah is absolutely box office, he really is. 150 kph, player of the tournament in the PSL. He will steam in and will give Oval Invincibles some pace that they absolutely need"

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Pakistani players picked for this year’s The Hundred Tournament:

Shaheen Shah Afridi – Welsh Fire
Haris Rauf – Welsh Fire
Shadab Khan – Birmingham Phoenix
Ihsanullah – Oval Invincibles

Were Naseem Shah and Hasnain unavailable for the draft?

 

[MenInG]

The final squads.

 

[Rana]

The final squads.

Omg Heinrich Klaasen picked but Mohammad Rizwan not picked!

I thought Rizwan was the GOAT keeper batsman of all time

 

[Cric1234]

Omg Heinrich Klaasen picked but Mohammad Rizwan not picked!

I thought Rizwan was the GOAT keeper batsman of all time

Ahmed Shehzad and Iftikhar Ahmed in the draft it’s no surprise apart from the bowlers Pakistani batsmen were unpicked.

 

[MenInG]

Shaheen Afridi, Grace Harris, Harmanpreet Kaur and Haris Rauf snapped up at The Hundred Draft

Welsh Fire select Sophia Dunkley as first pick in the women's competition of The Hundred Draft

Tom Abell the first pick in the men's competition for Mike Hussey's Welsh Fire

Harmanpreet Kaur selected by Trent Rockets, Tim David selected by Southern Brave

Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to each make first appearance in The Hundred for Welsh Fire

In the men’s competition 30 players drafted, 34 players drafted in the women’s competition

For more information and to sign up for priority ticket access visit thehundred.com  

The Pakistani duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, Australia's Grace Harris and India's Harmanpreet Kaur were some of the big names snapped up at The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage.

Sophia Dunkley and Tom Abell were the first picks of the men’s and women’s competitions, both for Welsh Fire, where Abell will be joined by Afridi and Rauf, who will both be making their first appearances in The Hundred.

The women’s competition was staging a draft for the first time, with Laura Wolvaardt moving to Manchester Originals, Kate Cross crossing the Pennines to Northern Superchargers and Sarah Glenn signing for London Spirit three of the other stand-out stories of the day.

The Hundred Draft saw 64 spots filled across the men’s and women’s competitions, with the eight teams taking it in turns to select players – the order for selections is based on last year’s finishing positions.

The open market process will see the remaining 56 places filled in the women’s competition, while 16 spots remain up for grabs in the men’s competition by virtue of The Vitality Wildcard Draft, which will be held in the week commencing 3 July.

Across the men’s and women’s competitions, the following players were signed:

Birmingham Phoenix: Sophie Devine, Hannah Baker, Eve Jones, Katie Levick, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Miles Hammond.
London Spirit: Grace Harris, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Munro, Sophie Luff, Mitchell Marsh, Olly Stone, Michael Pepper.

Manchester Originals: Laura Wolvaardt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Kathryn Bryce, Katie George, Laurie Evans, Ashton Turner, Josh Tongue.
Northern Superchargers: Kate Cross, Georgia Wareham, Alice Davidson-Richards, Reece Topley, Tom Banton, Michael Bracewell, Bas de Leede.

Oval Invincibles: Suzie Bates, Dane Van Niekerk, Mady Villiers, Paige Scholfield, Heinrich Klaasen, Ross Whiteley, Ihsanullah.
Southern Brave: Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole, Chloe Tryon, Maitlan Brown, Leus du Plooy, Tim David, Devon Conway.

Trent Rockets: Harmanpreet Kaur, Lizelle Lee, Kirstie Gordon, Grace Potts, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Hain, Brad Wheal.
Welsh Fire: Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Laura Harris, Alex Hartley, Tom Abell, David Willey, Shaheen Afridi, Glenn Phillips, Haris Rauf, Roelof van der Merwe, Stevie Eskinazi, Daniel Douthwaite.

The third year of The Hundred will start with a double-header at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August – the first of 34 matchdays that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.

More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.

Haris Rauf said: "I’m very excited about being picked by Welsh Fire. The Hundred is a really good competition and I’m looking forward to getting to Cardiff and working with Mike Hussey. It looks like we’ve built a good squad, and I'm excited about meeting the rest of the team and helping us win games of cricket."

Grace Harris, picked by London Spirit as the second-ever pick in the women’s competition in The Hundred Draft, said: “I’m really happy to have been drafted by London Spirit. Lord's is such a special venue to play at and I'm incredibly excited to play in front of some big crowds there. It’s nice to be a part of history by being the second pick in The Hundred Draft but when you look at the squads, they’re all so strong – it’s going to be a great competition and I can't wait."

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.  

 

[Forum363]

Until they sort out their kits and overall aesthetics this will never be a serious tournament.

They look like walking crisp packets and advertising boards.

 

[hitthestump]

Pakistani players picked for this year’s The Hundred Tournament:

Shaheen Shah Afridi – Welsh Fire
Haris Rauf – Welsh Fire
Shadab Khan – Birmingham Phoenix
Ihsanullah – Oval Invincibles

All bowlers, no surprises there.

England are the most stacked team in the world when it comes to batting. The big money was always going to be spent on the bowling attacks.

Shaheen looks like an absolute bargain at any price. Ihsanullah could well be a handful on English pitches.

 

[Saj]

Lack of availability is probably the main reason why Rizwan and Babar weren't picked.

In fact I'm surprised that Shaheen has been drafted.

 

[Rana]

Looks like The Hundred only want the cream of the crop from Pakistan.

Our best players turning up says a lot for the quality of this league this year.

Love how the tune changes

 

[Rana]

Lack of availability is probably the main reason why Rizwan and Babar weren't picked.

In fact I'm surprised that Shaheen has been drafted.

Why did they put their name in the draft? What’s Pakistan doing when the hundred is on going?

 

[davidba90]

No Sikander Raza at 40k?

 

[Firebat]

Welsh Fire, Northern Superchargers and Oval Invincibles look the best teams.

 

[ssuhaide]

Lack of availability is probably the main reason why Rizwan and Babar weren't picked.

In fact I'm surprised that Shaheen has been drafted.

Look at Cricinfo seems like Pakistan have no scheduled fixtures in July/August so strange that Babar especially not picked.

 

[Rana]

Look at Cricinfo seems like Pakistan have no scheduled fixtures in July/August so strange that Babar especially not picked.

[MENTION=147314]topspin[/MENTION]

Maybe they are playing the mid season Ramadhan cup?

 

[MenInG]

[MENTION=147314]topspin[/MENTION]

Maybe they are playing the mid season Ramadhan cup?

Is Topspin the authority on domestic schedules?

 

[HitWicket]

Look at Cricinfo seems like Pakistan have no scheduled fixtures in July/August so strange that Babar especially not picked.

They're not scheduled yet but the FTP suggests there may be a 2 test series against Bangladesh in August. I think Babar may have struggled to get picked anyway though given his high base price and the makeup of the teams who had a slot free that he could have taken.

 

[topspin]

[MENTION=147314]topspin[/MENTION]

Maybe they are playing the mid season Ramadhan cup?

Babar and Rizwan would obviously opt in for the Ramadhan Cup over the Hundred.

 

[Rana]

Babar and Rizwan would obviously opt in for the Ramadhan Cup over the Hundred.

Babar actually is playing the Ramadhan cup

 

[MenInG]

Mike Hussey on inclusion of Shaheen and Haris for Welsh Fire:

Fire will play their opening match on August 2, away at Manchester Originals, and Hussey anticipates Shaheen and Rauf will be available for seven of their eight group games. Pakistan are due to finish a two-Test series in Sri Lanka in late July, and have a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan pencilled in for late August, leading into the Asia Cup and then the World Cup.

"We've been told that they're available up to about the 20th,"

"I think that's about seven games, and there's a chance that the series they've got against Afghanistan may be called off as well. It's a bit of a gamble, but if that is the case, it'd be a huge win for us to have them for the whole season, which would be amazing for us.

"They are big stars, and they're match-winners as well. The first seven games is a fair chunk of the tournament. If they can come in and have a huge impact and win us a few games, and get us right up there, then that will help build some confidence and belief. And then there's still some quality performers out there that we can attract as suitable replacements.

"The gamble is, we know we've got them for seven games at this stage, but it could also be the whole tournament which would be a huge pay-off for us. Obviously they are both world-class performers and have performed on the biggest stage in the past, so hopefully they can have a big impact for us."

"It's great that we've got them as a pair, so they've got a bit of camaraderie off the field and both have a buddy there as well. I think that's going to hopefully help them settle in nicely."

 

[Major]

There is a difference between t20 and the hundred form of cricket.

Its 4 overs less, thus, proper hitters would be preferred.

Babar and Rizwan are innings builder, thus we didnt see them get selected over hitters.

However, in t20 cricket, these two guys are important, because without them Pakistan can win agaisnt Afghanistan

 

[Rana]

There is a difference between t20 and the hundred form of cricket.

Its 4 overs less, thus, proper hitters would be preferred.

Babar and Rizwan are innings builder, thus we didnt see them get selected over hitters.

However, in t20 cricket, these two guys are important, because without them Pakistan can win agaisnt Afghanistan

Great excuse

Let’s see who picks them up in the Big Bash if they enter the draft

 

[Major]

Great excuse

Let’s see who picks them up in the Big Bash if they enter the draft

and if they get picked up you will still whine right. it wont really make a difference for you would it.

 

[Rana]

and if they get picked up you will still whine right. it wont really make a difference for you would it.

If they are picked, I would feel sorry for the investors who are throwing money down the drain. It would be better to use that money to possibly remove some aspect of world hunger better humanitarian use

 

[Suleiman]

There is a difference between t20 and the hundred form of cricket.

Its 4 overs less, thus, proper hitters would be preferred.

Babar and Rizwan are innings builder, thus we didnt see them get selected over hitters.

However, in t20 cricket, these two guys are important, because without them Pakistan can win agaisnt Afghanistan

Babar and Rizwan both played Vs AFG last year IN Sharjah and needed Naseem Shah to play a rescue mission innings as they contributed no more than what the current batsmen struggled to do in the 2 games we just lost.

Let’s not get into ifs and buts.

One PSL, and all of Babar and Rizwan failures at the far more important WC have been erased lol. What a sick joke- Chuck McGill.

 

[Major]

Babar and Rizwan both played Vs AFG last year IN Sharjah and needed Naseem Shah to play a rescue mission innings as they contributed no more than what the current batsmen struggled to do in the 2 games we just lost.

Let’s not get into ifs and buts.

One PSL, and all of Babar and Rizwan failures at the far more important WC have been erased lol. What a sick joke- Chuck McGill.

did they lose a match against them? no

 

[Suleiman]

did they lose a match against them? no

did they help win the only match they played against them within the last 12 months? No.

 

[Major]

did they help win the only match they played against them within the last 12 months? No.

you can spin it anyway you want, but results are there to see

 

[DeadlyVenom]

you can spin it anyway you want, but results are there to see

tbh I think you are spinning it a bit here.

Asif Ali saved us against Afghanistan and then Naseem did.

Babar and Rizwan were irrelevant.

They are good players but we scraped by Afghanistan because of freak innings by others.

 

[MenInG]

Some unknown James Anderson on Babar and The Hundred

==

Host: Why was Babar not picked up? Was his price too high?

James Anderson: I’ll pay double for him [Babar Azam]. I’ll spend the whole budget on Babar Azam. The only thing I can guess is that there might have been an availability issue, which is why he wasn’t picked.I went into the IPL auction once and didn’t get picked up"

 

[sweep_shot]

The Hundred format doesn't have a concept of over.

To me, it is just not cricket. I hope this joke of a format will not become mainstream (like T20 did).

 

[MenInG]

Some unknown James Anderson on Babar and The Hundred

==

Host: Why was Babar not picked up? Was his price too high?

James Anderson: I’ll pay double for him [Babar Azam]. I’ll spend the whole budget on Babar Azam. The only thing I can guess is that there might have been an availability issue, which is why he wasn’t picked.I went into the IPL auction once and didn’t get picked up"

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I agree with <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmy9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jimmy9</a> . I would have done the same. I really wonder why the best T20 player in the world went unsold at The Hundred. <a href="https://t.co/giKMLdRRt0">pic.twitter.com/giKMLdRRt0</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1642212162130026496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Rana]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I agree with <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmy9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jimmy9</a> . I would have done the same. I really wonder why the best T20 player in the world went unsold at The Hundred. <a href="https://t.co/giKMLdRRt0">pic.twitter.com/giKMLdRRt0</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1642212162130026496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yes Shebby you really wonder don’t you

 

[MenInG]

The Hundred can be the "second-best" franchise competition after the Indian Premier League, says England managing director of men's cricket Rob Key.

Key said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) must ensure The Hundred pays players enough to compete with franchise leagues around the world.

The third edition of the 100-ball tournament, launched by the ECB in 2020, takes place from 1-27 August.

"We have to concentrate on ourselves," Key told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We need to make sure that our competition is good enough and pays enough."

The Indian Premier League (IPL), which started in 2008, is the world's biggest T20 franchise competition.

India's men's players do not participate in franchise leagues other than the IPL, with the money they earn from the tournament helping to ensure they do not need to.

"I don't see why our competition can't be second-best to the IPL," said Key.

"It can also be a better standard than the IPL because we've got more strength in depth in white-ball cricket than any other country."

Australia's Big Bash League started in 2011, with the Women's Big Bash beginning four years later.

There are other high-profile franchise leagues in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, while South Africa launched its SA20 competition earlier this year.

The first edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), a women's version of the IPL, took place in March, with England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt earning £320,000. The top women's players in The Hundred earn £31,250.

The likes of the IPL, WPL and SA20 pay players more than The Hundred because they are funded by private investment, which Key accepted is a challenge.

"That money might not be there at the moment," he said.

"The top salary in The Hundred is £125,000 but you don't mind that at the moment because we are building towards something in the years to come, and the money will go up.

"That's how we will get the money and that alongside the central contracts will put English cricket in a great place."

The first edition of Major League Cricket in the United States starts in July.

With Major League Cricket clashing with the British summer, and vast sums on offer, there is a concern players could opt out of The Hundred and even England white-ball fixtures to play in the USA instead.

However, Key said he feels that is unlikely and making The Hundred a more attractive offer for players will prevent that happening.

"I don't see any time, certainly in the near future, where a Test player or centrally-contracted player says, 'I'm off to America for three weeks' - that's not a threat at the moment," said Key.

"There is no reason why we cannot have a better league than the American league. There's no reason why we can't sort out our franchise competition so that players say, 'Why would I go to America? I'll stay here and play in our competition'."

"What we want is a bit more control to be able to say yes or no, and be in the right position to say, 'No, you can't go and play there, we are looking after you really well here anyway'.

"So we've got to focus on our own game and invest well to make sure we can afford to pay people enough in the future."

BBC

 

[Suleiman]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I agree with <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmy9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jimmy9</a> . I would have done the same. I really wonder why the best T20 player in the world went unsold at The Hundred. <a href="https://t.co/giKMLdRRt0">pic.twitter.com/giKMLdRRt0</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1642212162130026496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I’ll tell you why. Because he has hyper inflated stats just like his buddy Rizwan built on feasting on school yard attacks. He’s 10x the batsman Rizwan is, but who wants to deal with a stubborn guy who won’t move down to the order as if he will die if he bats at 3?

Nobody wants to deal with a stubborn dude who only cares about facing the most number of balls (opening) and couldn’t give a **** about the team’s most optimal batting combination.

Even Sachin for being the most famed batsmen for the last 20+ years would be ok with moving around the order, even though he usually opened in ODIs after a certain point. Kohli almost always bats at 3 in internationals. Dhoni could’ve inflated his stats more but took one for the team and moved to 5-6 and let others bat above him. Even though he too started at 3, and absolutely killed it in ODIs.

You do what the team needs regarding batting position. If he can’t do that in PSL and internationals, to the point of arguing with coaches when they merely suggest he bat lower- why on earth would other franchises want to deal with his prima Donna attitude?

 

[MenInG]

Informal discussions have started about turning the men's Hundred into a Twenty20 competition as English cricket wrestles with the sport's rapidly changing landscape.

Conversations are at an early stage and sensitivities are high because of the money invested by Sky Sports, the English game's main broadcasting partner.

Sky extended their deal with the ECB - which is said to be worth £220million annually - last year until 2028, with the expectation that the Hundred would still be around.

But Mail Sport understands there is concern at the ECB about the fact 100-ball cricket is still played only in the UK as the competition approaches its third summer.

By contrast, T20 cricket continues to expand, with Major League Cricket set to begin in the USA this summer, Saudi Arabia looking to start their own competition, and growing talk of bespoke 20-over contracts for an international army of freelance players.

No change to the men's Hundred is likely before 2025 - the highly successful women's format would be untouched - but one option is to invite the National Counties (formerly the Minor Counties) to join the 18 first-class teams in an expanded competition aimed at providing promising cricketers with a pathway into the professional game.

The T20 Blast might then become a two-league affair, with promotion and relegation.

But no change would be possible without consensus among the first-class counties, and the ECB remain open to ideas about how best to shape the summer.

One county executive said: 'It needs cool heads to think it through but it needs to happen quickly.'

ECB chair Richard Thompson suggested last year that the board were open to the idea of offloading the Hundred to private investors, citing the sale of IPL franchise Lucknow Giants for $930m.

But the failure of other nations to take up 100-ball cricket has led to a conviction among English administrators that the home summer should not be for sale at any price.

Earlier this month, a report by Worcestershire chairman Fanos Hira, a chartered accountant, claimed the Hundred had lost £9m in two years - a figure that did not include £25m paid by the ECB to the counties and MCC to back the competition.

The ECB argue it made a profit of £11.8m.

DailyMail

 

[sam_ahm]

As expected these millions of leagues that came up have started facing problems, losses, questions on relevance and identity. This is just the beginning.

Some posters here were saying 'Hundred', 'T10' are 'other formats' that are more popular than ODIs and Tests.

 

[MenInG]

The ECB would breach their £220million-a year TV deal with Sky Sports if they dump the Hundred before 2028 in a radical revamp of domestic cricket revealed by Mail Sport on Thursday.

The controversial move would also risk jeopardising the prospects of securing a terrestrial TV deal for English cricket's premier short-form competition, which is a key part of the ECB's strategy to grow the game.

The Hundred's existing terrestrial contract with the BBC expires in 2025 with the ECB due to go to market for a new deal this summer.

The BBC have made it clear that they do not have room in their schedule to regularly televise Twenty20 matches however, particularly on their main channels, whilst ITV and Channel 4 have similar reservations over the length of the format.

It would also be challenging to secure a terrestrial TV deal for English cricket's premier short-form competition, with the ECB due to go to market over a new broadcast deal this summer

Sky Sports have also invested heavily in the Hundred and would resist attempts to change the competition to a T20 format.

Whilst a negotiated settlement is more likely than any legal action the ECB would technically require approval from Sky to make such a significant alteration.

The ECB experienced more turbulence on Thursday when Sir Andrew Strauss left his role as an advisor at Lord's after the recommendations of his strategic review into the structure of the first class game were not adopted.

In addition to his proposals being rejected by the counties the former England captain is also understood to have grown disillusioned at being excluded from recent discussions involving representatives of the 18 first class counties.

Daily Mail

 

[MenInG]

Ellyse Perry, Tom Abell and Sophie Ecclestone confirmed as captains in The Hundred

Ellyse Perry, Tom Abell and Sophie Ecclestone have been confirmed to lead their teams in The Hundred, as five of the eight sides taking part announce their captains.

Perry is joined by Birmingham local Moeen Ali as the men’s team captain at Edgbaston, Jos Buttler will continue to take the reins for the men’s Manchester Originals team and Tammy Beaumont is to lead the Welsh Fire women’s side.

Dane van Niekerk and Sam Billings, and Anya Shrubsole and James Vince, will continue their captaincy roles at Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave respectively. London Spirit had already announced England duo Heather Knight and Dan Lawrence as their sides’ captains. Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets are yet to announce their captains.

Birmingham Ellyse Perry and Moeen Ali

Manchester Originals: Sophie Ecclestone and Jos Buttler

Oval Invincibles: Dane van Niekerk and Sam Billings

Southern Brave: Anya Shrubsole and James Vince

Welsh Fire: Tammy Beaumont and Tom Abell

For World No.1 spinner Sophie Ecclestone it’s a first captaincy role: “I’m buzzing to be captaining Manchester Originals this year. The Hundred is such a great competition to take part in and I can’t wait to lead the girls out at Emirates Old Trafford. I like what we’ve done in the draft, we’ve got the makings of a world class side, and hopefully our fans will come out in their numbers as ever to cheer us on.”

Tom Abell, who’s moved from Birmingham Phoenix to join Mike Hussey in Cardiff, is also looking forward to the challenge: “I jumped at the opportunity to come and take a leadership role with Mike here at Welsh Fire. I’m really excited by the challenge that lies in front of us and we’re both really keen to bring some success to Welsh Fire. We did some really great work at the draft and it’s going to be really enjoyable to lead this group of players.”

The third year of The Hundred gets underway on Tuesday 1 August with a double-header at Trent Bridge – the first of 34 matchdays that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.

More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.

Tickets are selling fast and are available here. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £12.   

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.

 

[Ball Blazer]

The Hundred confirms Vitality Wildcard picks for 2025

32 players have been selected across the Men's and Women's Competition
James Anderson and Rocky Flintoff will both take part in The Hundred this season after being selected in The Hundred Vitality Wildcard Draft.

Anderson, 42, an England great and one of the finest bowlers to ever play the game, was selected by Manchester Originals. Flintoff, 17, will join up with his father Andrew, Head Coach at Northern Superchargers.

The pair were two of 32 names drafted in The Hundred Vitality Wildcard Draft, the final updates to the 16 squads ahead of the fifth year of The Hundred.

Essex’s Esmae Macgregor will join Anderson at Originals, off the back off a domestic campaign which sees her top the wicket-taking charts in the Vitality Blast Women’s Competition.

FULL PICKS

Birmingham Phoenix:
Mary Taylor, Phoebe Brett, Liam Patterson-White, Louis Kimber

London Spirit:
Abi Norgrove, Kate Coppack, Sean Dickson, Ryan Higgins

Manchester Originals:
Esmae Macgregor, Darcey Carter, James Anderson, Marchant de Lange

Northern Superchargers:
Katherine Fraser, Sophia Turner, James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff

Oval Invincibles:
Daisy Gibb, Rebecca Odgers, George Scrimshaw, Zafar Gohar

Southern Brave:
Phoebe Turner, Amara Carr, Toby Albert, Hilton Cartwright

Trent Rockets:
Grace Thompson, Sophie Morris, Callum Parkinson, Ben Sanderson

Welsh Fire:
Charley Phillips, Alex Griffiths, Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway

The Hundred Vitality Wildcard Draft gives an opportunity to players previously unselected in The Hundred to earn selection through outstanding performances in the Vitality Blast Men’s and Women’s Competitions across the first three months of the domestic season.

Hilton Cartwright was the only overseas player selected, filling a spot at Southern Brave vacated by Faf du Plessis, who had to withdraw through injury. Jason Roy will replace du Plessis at Brave.

Source: The Hundred