West Indian big hitter Nicholas Pooran and Australian superstar Meg Lanning were the big stories of the night at The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, joining Northern Superchargers and London Spirit as their first picks.
In the women’s competition, England wicket-keeper Amy Jones was the first move of the evening – re-joining Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine at her local club Birmingham Phoenix.
England Men’s legend Andrew Flintoff used the first pick of the men’s competition to draft Pooran, making him the first of five West Indian men to be selected in the first round of picks – alongside Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer.
England players Dawid Malan, Amy Jones, Tom Banton, Ollie Pope and Lauren Filer were also on the move, as well as international superstars Beth Mooney, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Ash Gardner.
Meg Lanning said: “I’m so happy to be joining London Spirit. It’ll be extra special to make Lord’s home for a month. I’ve watched a bit of The Hundred over the last few years and it looks like a lot of fun, with some really good atmospheres. I can’t wait to meet up with Heather and the rest of the squad in the summer, and hopefully help us towards some success on the field.”
Nicholas Pooran said: “It was exciting seeing Freddie Flintoff make me his first pick at Northern Superchargers. The Hundred looks to be a top competition and I’ve always enjoyed playing in England. I know The Hundred has worked really hard to get kids and families involved so I’m sure it will be a great atmosphere at Headingley. I’m looking forward to returning there this summer and getting started.”
First pick of the night Amy Jones will be involved in the opening game of The Hundred’s fourth year, as her Phoenix side travel to The Kia Oval on Tuesday 23 July to face Oval Invincibles – the first of 68 games that promise world class men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.
The Hundred Draft Picks
Birmingham Phoenix Women’s: Amy Jones, Richa Ghosh, Katie Levick, Seren Smale, Ailsa Lister, Chloe Brewer
Birmingham Phoenix Men’s: Naseem Shah, Sean Abbott, James Fuller, Daniel Mousley
London Spirit Women’s: Meg Lanning, Cordelia Griffith, Eva Gray, Hannah Jones, Niamh Holland
London Spirit Men’s: Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Michael Pepper
Manchester Original Women’s: Beth Mooney, Sophie Molineux, Lauren Filer, Eve Jones, Phoebe Graham
Manchester Original Men’s: Sikandar Raza, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Josh Hull
Northern Superchargers Women’s: Annabel Sutherland, Grace Ballinger, Lucy Higham, Ella Claridge, Davina Perrin
Northern Superchargers Men’s: Nicholas Pooran, Daniel Sams, Tom Lawes, Graham Clark
Oval Invincibles Women’s: Chamari Athapaththu, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Jo Gardner, Lizzie Scott, Georgie Boyce
Oval Invincibles Men’s: Dawid Malan, Donovan Ferreira, Tom Lammonby
Southern Brave Women’s: Smriti Mandhana, Naomi Dattani, Lauren Cheatle, Kalea Moore, Tilly Corteen-Coleman
Southern Brave Men’s: Kieron Pollard, Laurie Evans, Akeal Hosein, Danny Briggs
Trent Rockets Women’s: Ash Gardner, Grace Scrivens, Heather Graham, Katie George, Josie Groves, Kira Chathli, Cassidy McCarthy
Trent Rockets Men’s: Rovman Powell, Imad Wasim, Tom Banton, Calvin Harrison, Jordan Thompson, Adam Lyth
Welsh Fire Women’s: Jess Jonassen, Phoebe Franklin, Ella McCaughan, Claire Nicholas, Alex Griffiths
Welsh Fire Men’s: Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shaheen Afridi, Jake Ball
A record 580,000 fans were in attendance across The Hundred last season, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition. The Hundred’s blend of high-quality sport and entertainment saw 41% of all tickets sold to families, 23% to juniors and 30% to women.
