Tonight, the eight new women’s teams in The Hundred each announced the signing of a marquee player live from The Hundred Draft.
Australia skipper Meg Lanning will join her international coach Matthew Mott at Welsh Fire, whilst South Africa’s Lizelle Lee will head to Manchester Originals. England’s Tammy Beaumont will join her international captain Heather Knight at London Spirit – the pair last played together at Lord’s when England lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017.
Then it’s Birmingham Phoenix for hard-hitting New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine, Southern Brave for her Kiwi compatriot Suzie Bates and South London’s Oval Invincibles for South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk.
England duo Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt, who were Trent Rockets’ first two picks on October 3, will have young Australia spinner Sophie Molineux joining them. Then Alyssa Healy – who smashed a record-breaking 148 against the West Indies earlier this month – is heading to Northern Superchargers.
Tonight’s newly selected marquee players will join the two England women’s centrally contracted players that each team announced at the start of the month. Team Head Coaches have until May 31 to finalise their 15-strong squads.
| Team | New signings | England women’s central contract players selected on 3rd October |
| Birmingham Phoenix | Sophie Devine | Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon |
| London Spirit | Tammy Beaumont | Heather Knight, Freya Davies |
| Manchester Originals | Lizelle Lee | Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone |
| Northern Superchargers | Alyssa Healy | Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith |
| Oval Invincibles | Dane van Niekerk | Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson |
| Southern Brave | Suzie Bates | Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt |
| Trent Rockets | Sophie Molineux | Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt |
| Welsh Fire | Meg Lanning | Katie George, Bryony Smith |
Meg Lanning said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining up with Matthew Mott at Welsh Fire. We obviously know each other really well from working together for Australia and hopefully that can give us an edge. It’s really exciting to see the women’s squads begin to take shape, and hopefully alongside the men’s players who joined up in tonight’s draft we can give Welsh Fire a strong chance in the first season of The Hundred.”
London Spirit’s Tammy Beaumont added: “It’s hugely exciting to be joining Heather [Knight] and Freya [Davies] at London Spirit, and I look forward to when we will know our full squad. The competition is obviously getting closer and now we know the names, the kit and the players it’s all starting to feel real. There’s so much world-class talent across both competitions and we are keen to get started.”
The final men’s competition selections in The Hundred Draft are happening live, now, on Sky One and Sky Sports, Sky Sports Digital platforms, BBC iPlayer, Radio 5Live Extra and BBC Sport homepage, as well as being live streamed on thehundred.com and The Hundred Facebook and Instagram. All 96 selections will be made by 10pm this evening.
The five-week competition will be played at the height of summer, starting July 2020, featuring eight new city-based teams; Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix, Welsh Fire, Southern Brave, London Spirit & Oval Invincibles.
For the latest news and priority access to tickets visit thehundred.com