Northern Superchargers pick Stokes instead of Root in The Hundred
England all-rounder Ben Stokes is selected instead of Test captain Joe Root for Leeds-based Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. …
England all-rounder Ben Stokes was selected instead of Test captain Joe Root for the Leeds-based Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
Root will play for the Nottingham-based Trent Rockets, while England fast bowler Jofra Archer will represent Southampton-based Southern Brave.
The eight new teams for next year had the chance to draft England’s male red-ball contracted players on Thursday.
Seam bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were not chosen.
In a separate selection process on the day the competition was officially launched with team names, badges and kits also unveiled, England women’s captain Heather Knight was picked by Lord’s-based London Spirit.
The men’s and women’s Hundred will run from 17 July to 16 August 2020.
| Team | Men’s players | Women’s players |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Phoenix | Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Brown | Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon |
| London Spirit | Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Eoin Morgan | Heather Knight, Freya Davies |
| Manchester Originals | Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson | Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone |
| Northern Superchargers | Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey | Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith |
| Oval Invincibles | Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Jason Roy | Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson |
| Southern Brave | Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, James Vince | Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt |
| Trent Rockets | Joe Root, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales | Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt |
| Welsh Fire | Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Colin Ingram | Katie George, Bryony Smith |
There was a geographical element to the draft that meant Stokes was initially only eligible for the Northern Superchargers – who could pick Yorkshire and Durham players – and when coach Darren Lehmann opted for the all-rounder, Trent Rockets selected Root over Broad.
“Obviously I have been associated with Yorkshire and that part of the world for a long period of time, it’ll always be home to me,” Root told BBC Sport.
“But I have big connections with Nottingham too – my dad played there as a Colt and in the junior teams and second team and I’ve always loved playing there too.
“It’s a great venue to be involved in – the wicket there is fantastic, there are nice, small boundaries so it’s come together nicely in many ways.”
Root, who said he would like to play alongside Australia’s Mitchell Starc and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson for Trent Rockets, added: “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.”
The England Test players selected will all be paid by the England and Wales Cricket Board as part of their central contracts.
The eight men’s teams were also able to negotiate with and select two local ‘icon’ players from their catchment counties.
England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan was picked by London Spirit, all-rounder Moeen Ali joined Birmingham Phoenix and opener Jason Roy will play for Oval Invincibles, with all three players awarded the maximum £125,000 contract.
South Africa’s Colin Ingram is the only non-England qualified player chosen so far and will play for the Welsh Fire, alongside England batsman Jonny Bairstow and opener Tom Banton, who was recently called up by England for the five Twenty20s in New Zealand in November.
On 20 October, the remaining places in the 15-man squads will be filled via a full draft – West Indies opener Chris Gayle and Australia batsman Steve Smith are among those to have made themselves available for the tournament.
Trent Rockets will select first in the draft, following a random draw, and teams are allowed a maximum of three overseas players. The draft will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.
There are seven set salary bands, with up to two players to be picked at each of the following levels: £125,000, £100,000, £75,000, £60,000, £50,000, £40,000 and £30,000. Captains will receive a bonus of £10,000.
The eight women’s teams have signed two players each from the 21 who are centrally contracted to England.
Alongside Knight, there are seven other World Cup winners chosen – bowler Anya Shrubsole and opening batter Danni Wyatt (Southern Brave), all-rounder Nat Sciver and opening bowler Katherine Brunt (Trent Rockets), spinner Laura Marsh and batter Fran Wilson (Oval Invincibles) and batter Lauren Winfield (Northern Superchargers).
“Hopefully I’ll be able to use my experience as England captain to help London Spirit be successful,” said Knight.
“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.”
Stage two of the women’s player selection process (1 October 2019 – 30 May 2020) will see each team fill the remaining 13 spaces in their squad from across three different player pools: the remaining England centrally contracted players, overseas players and domestic players.
Teams can sign one further England centrally contracted player during stage two and can sign a maximum of three overseas players.
The women’s seven salary brackets are: £15,000, £12,000, £9,000, £7,200, £6,000, £4,800 and £3,600. The captains will receive a £1,200 bonus.
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