West Indies heavy hitter Kieron Pollard, selected by London Spirit with the first overall pick in The Hundred 2022 men’s draft; Tammy Beaumont, England’s first female player, joins Welsh Fire as new captain, Meg Lanning, World Cup winner from Australia, joins Trent Rockets
Kieron Pollard and Tammy Beaumont have been recruited by London Spirit and Welsh Fire respectively
Kieron Pollard was chosen with the first pick of The Hundred men’s draft, while England women’s team starter Tammy Beaumont joined the Welsh Fire as their new captain as teams increased their playing rosters ahead of the 2022 tournament. .
The 2022 men’s draft saw a total of 585 registered players, but only 42 spots remained to be filled on the teams for the second season of the 100-ball tournament. This is because more than 150 male and female players from 2021 were already retained by their teams on ‘Deadline Day’ in February.
The Spirit had the coveted top pick in the men’s draft as a result of finishing bottom of the standings last year and selected Pollard at the highest reserve price of £125,000. Notable names not picked include Australia’s David Warner, Pakistan’s Babar Azam, the world’s No. 1 T20 batsman, and legendary West Indies starter Chris Gayle.
New signings for the women’s competition, which does not have a draft system, were also unveiled on Tuesday, with Australian World Cup winners Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Alana King and Megan Schutt, along with New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, the South African Mignon du Preez. and Deandra Dottin from the West Indies among the new foreign signings announced.
Lanning and King team up again with Trent Rockets, along with Du Preez, Haynes joins Beaumont in Wales, while Schutt lands at Lord’s with London Spirit, as does Kerr. Meanwhile, Dottin moves from the Spirit to the Manchester Originals for the 2022 tournament.
In the men’s draft, as the first round continued, Windies stars Andre Russell landed with the Originals, Dwayne Bravo with the Northern Superchargers, and Sunil Narine re-signed with the Oval Invincibles. Australia’s Matthew Wade and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock landed with Birmingham Phoenix and Southern Brave, respectively, with Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis also joining Brave, the 2021 defending men’s champions.
Among the domestic talent snatched up early on, Nottinghamshire batsman Joe Clarke was picked by the Fire with the second overall pick, while England international Tom Banton ends up back with the Welsh side he played for in 2021, and Liam Dawson joins the Spirit. . Fast pitcher Olly Stone, also an international, was selected by Phoenix in the second round.
In the women’s competition, Beaumont joins the bigger name national players with her often-international starting partner, Lauren Winfield-Hill, moving from the Superchargers to the reigning champions, the Invincibles. England left-winger Phoebe Graham also leaves the Leeds Superchargers and crosses the Pennines to Manchester, while Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley join Beaumont in Cardiff.
Beaumont said of her move: “I am beyond excited to lead Welsh Fire this summer.
“I loved my time with the London Spirit, but the opportunity to captain the Welsh Fire was something I couldn’t turn down.
“We are building a really talented team, full of world-class players and we can’t wait to go out in front of our amazing fans in Cardiff and put on a show.”
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred, said, “With a host of confirmed star players, The Hundred will have fans on the edge of their seats with world-class sport, as well as providing more family-friendly entertainment off the pitch.”
Elsewhere in the men’s draft, a pair of swivel legs were earned in the second round as the Fire claimed Australian Adam Zampa for £100,000 and the Originals added Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga to their overseas contingent.
As the draft progressed, with players available for signing in seven different salary brackets of up to £30,000, the Superchargers acquired Wahab Riaz, the speedy veteran southpaw from Pakistan, for £75,000, while his compatriot, the young 19-year-old Naseem Shah joins the Fire for £60,000. Matthew Fisher, recently capped by England in the West Indies test tour, was taken for £50,000 by Birmingham.
After the men’s draft, each side still must make two more picks, to be confirmed in June. One of which is another foreign wildcard player, as well as the Vitality wildcard, in which teams will select an additional player for a £30,000 spot based on the strength of their domestic performances during the early part of the summer.
This is what teams look like after draft day…
Italics = player added in Tuesday’s draft
England Centrally Signed Test Players: Chris Woakes Jack Leach
Foreign players: Matthew WadeAustralianAdam Milne (New Zealand), Kane Richardson (Australian)
Rest of template: liam livingstone, olly stoneMoeen Ali, Benny Howell, Tom Abell, matthew fisherWill Smeed, Chris Benjamin, Miles Hammond, Graeme van BuurenHenry Brookes
Female team: Amy Jones, Sophie Devine (O), Ellyse Perry (O), Sofia Molineux (O), Georgia Elwiss, Kirstie Gordon, Issy Wong, Eve Jones, Emily Arlott, Gwen Davies, Abtaha Maqsood, Ria Fackrell, Phoebe Franklin, Kalis Strait
(O) = foreign player
England Centrally Signed Test Players: Zak Crawley Mark Wood
