Buttler and Ecclestone retained by Manchester Originals for third year of The Hundred

• Sophie Ecclestone, Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Deandra Dottin all confirmed to be back at Emirates Old Trafford
• The Hundred Draft powered by Sage to be televised live on Sky Sports on Thursday 23 March
• Draft in the women’s competition to be held for the first time
• Two Vitality Wildcard picks in the men’s competition
• For more information and to sign up for priority ticket access visit thehundred.com

Manchester Originals have confirmed the women’s and men’s stars they have re-signed to return to Emirates Old Trafford this summer for the third year of The Hundred.

Fans at Emirates Old Trafford will be delighted to see the return of the world’s top-ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone for the women's team, and Ecclestone will be joined by Deandra Dottin, Ellie Threlkeld and Emma Lamb.

Ten of the men's players who took the Originals to The Hundred Final last year have been retained, including captain Jos Buttler, England opener Phil Salt and Ireland’s Josh Little. Despite not being able to appear in 2022, Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has also been retained.

Rashid Khan, Jofra Archer, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Smriti Mandhana and Glenn Maxwell are among the list of players who have been retained by other teams in The Hundred.

Across both competitions, 114 players have been retained in total, meaning 134 spots remain to be filled at The Hundred Draft powered by Sage, and across the open market process in the women’s competition.

Teams in the men’s competition are able to retain 10 players, and women's teams can retain four of their players. Six men’s sides have retained all 10, while Welsh Fire – under the new leadership of Australian great Mike Hussey – will have eight places to fill at The Draft, at which they’ll have the first pick.

The women’s competition will be hosting a draft for the first time, with the likes of England stars Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt and Kate Cross, as well as a host of international players, up for grabs. Manchester Originals will have the third pick in the women’s draft. The final list for The Hundred Draft powered by Sage is due to be confirmed on 28 February.

The Hundred will kick off its third year at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August with a Trent Rockets v Southern Brave double-header – the first of 68 games that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment

More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.

There will be an initial, exclusive window to purchase tickets from 15-28 March for anyone who has previously bought tickets for The Hundred. Those yet to attend can sign up in advance at thehundred.com for priority ticket access from 5–18 April. Tickets will then go on general sale on Thursday 20 April. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.    

Phil Salt, an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winner in November, said: “It’s brilliant we’ve been able to retain 10 of our players from 2022. Our confidence is in a good place after going so close last year so I’m glad we’ve been able to keep a similar squad together. It's a well-balanced side, we've got Jos’ leadership, we've got good depth and some talented overseas players, too. We're looking forward to the Draft and completing our squad."

England Women all-rounder Emma Lamb said: “I’m excited to be retained by Manchester Originals for The Hundred this year. The first two years of the competition have been incredible to play in and with the addition of The Draft this year, it's only going to be bigger and better in 2023. Retaining the players we have gives us a great base to build on to form a side capable of challenging for The Hundred trophy in August."

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.  

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

ENDS 

Notes to Editors 

About The Hundred: 

The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable cricket competition that fuses world-class cricket with blockbuster entertainment. 

Combining a short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.  

The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side: Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Each teams features some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners. 

Highlight statistics from The Hundred 2022: 

• More than 500,000 people attended games across the course of the competition
• The Hundred continued to take cricket to new audiences with more women (28%), children (22%) and families (41%) attending than in the first year
• 2022 once again set a new global record for total attendance at a women’s cricket competition, with 271,000 people attending
• All eight venues broke their previous best for domestic women’s attendances
• Of the Sky and BBC TV coverage, 42% hadn’t watched any other ECB cricket in 2022 prior to The Hundred, resulting in 5.9m new viewers
• Women (31%) and children (14%) made up a significant share of the TV audience  

About The Hundred Draft powered by Sage:

For more information about The Hundred Draft powered by Sage, follow this link.

About The Hundred fixtures:

For all fixtures in The Hundred, follow this link.