England men’s and women’s World Cup winning players, including Joe Root, Heather Knight, Ben Stokes, Nat Sciver and Jofra Archer, have officially been selected for the eight new teams in 100 ball cricket competition, The Hundred.
For the men’s competition, England Test captain Joe Root has joined Trent Rockets while England’s star bowler of the summer Jofra Archer has joined Southern Brave. All-rounder Ben Stokes will return to Headingley, the scene of his summer Ashes exploits, and join Northern Superchargers. The players were selected in the first stage of The Hundred Draft , which culminates live on Sky, on 20th October.
The eight teams in the women’s competition have also picked their first players, each announcing two of the centrally contracted England Women players in the first stage of the player selection process. England captain Heather Knight will skipper London Spirit. Anya Shrubsole – Knight’s vice-captain for England – will join up with Danni Wyatt at Southern Brave. Nat Sciver will join Trent Rockets, alongside Katherine Brunt, and Manchester Originals welcome Sophie Ecclestone, the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2018.
Also revealed are the identities and kits for the eight teams, which will each be sponsored by a different KP Snacks brand, in their role as Official Team Partner.
FINAL PLAYER CONFIRMATIONS
Team | Men’s Players | Women’s Players |
Birmingham Phoenix | Chris Woakes (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Moeen Ali, Pat Brown (Local Icons) | Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon (England Women’s central contract picks) |
London Spirit | Rory Burns (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Dan Lawrence, Eoin Morgan (Local Icons) | Heather Knight, Freya Davies (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Manchester Originals | Jos Buttler (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson (Local Icons) | Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Northern Superchargers | Ben Stokes (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Adil Rashid, David Willey (Local Icons) | Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Oval Invincibles | Sam Curran (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Tom Curran, Jason Roy (Local Icons) | Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Southern Brave | Jofra Archer (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Chris Jordan, James Vince (Local Icons) | Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Trent Rockets | Joe Root (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Harry Gurney, Alex Hales (Local Icons) | Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt (England Women’s central contract picks) |
Welsh Fire | Jonny Bairstow (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Tom Banton, Colin Ingram (Local Icons) | Katie George, Bryony Smith (England Women’s central contract picks) |
England Men’s Test captain, Joe Root commented: “I’m incredibly excited to play for the Trent Rockets in The Hundred. This year has been monumental for cricket and we have seen achievements like never before. The best players in the world are coming here to compete and we’re going to get the chance to test ourselves against them once again. There has never been a more exciting time for cricket.’’
England Women’s captain Heather Knight said: “I’m really excited to be representing London Spirit in the first season of The Hundred. Hopefully I’ll be able to use my experience as England captain to help the side be successful. I think 2020 is shaping up to be a really exciting year for the development of women’s cricket, and The Hundred will be central to us getting more people watching, playing and following the game.”
Sanjay Patel, managing director of The Hundred said: “We are thrilled to share the line-up of amazingly talented England and domestic players who will be starring in the men and women’s competitions for The Hundred next summer. Our ambition is to inspire the next generation to pick up a bat and ball and we hope that a fire will be ignited in young people as they see their sporting heroes play in The Hundred.”
The final stage of the The Hundred Draft is set to provide an historic first for British sport when it is staged on Sunday, October 20. It will be broadcast live on Sky One and Sky Sports, with extensive coverage across the BBC.
The five-week competition will be played at the height of summer, starting July 2020, featuring eight new city-based teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (Lord’s and the Oval).
For the latest news and priority access to tickets visit thehundred.com