International stars line up for The Hundred

The Hundred Overseas Wildcard Draft has seen yet more international men’s and women’s superstars sign up to take part in The Hundred this summer. In a world first for cricket, overseas men’s and women’s players have been drafted together ahead of an exciting summer of world-class sport and family-friendly entertainment.

The big signings include:

• Oval Invincibles selected Pakistan quick bowler Mohammad Hasnain as the first men’s pick while Afghan teenage spin sensation Noor Ahmad heads to Welsh Fire
• The Aussies are coming to the women’s competition with Welsh Fire picking up Nicola Carey as their first pick and Trent Rockets snapping up Elyse Villani
• South African star Imran Tahir will return to Birmingham Phoenix after lighting up The Hundred last year with the competition’s first hat-trick
• Other international stars in the women’s game include India’s Deepti Sharma heading to Birmingham Phoenix while New Zealand internationals Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr and Suzie Bates join Manchester Originals, London Spirit and Oval Invincibles respectively
• There are players from 13 nations in this year’s competition, confirming The Hundred’s place in the global sport and entertainment calendar
• Tickets are now on general sale at www.thehundred.com

The first year of The Hundred proved a big hit with families and young people in particular relishing the mix of fast-paced cricket with music and family entertainment off the pitch. Eight teams, based across seven cities, compete in men’s and women’s matches across the height of the summer holidays.

Tickets are now available for all fans via www.thehundred.com.

For the first time in any cricketing competition, women’s players are being drafted along with the men as The Hundred takes another step towards providing an equal platform for women’s and men’s cricket.

Quotes

Mohammad Hasnain said, “I’m overjoyed to be joining Oval Invincibles. The Hundred looked like great fun last year and I can’t wait to get involved. The opportunity to play alongside stars like Sunil Narine, Jason Roy and the Curran brothers is hugely exciting. I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the field again.”

Nicola Carey said, “I’m really excited to be heading to Welsh Fire. We’ve already got a strong Aussie contingent with Rachael Haynes and Annabel Sutherland and combine that with Tammy Beaumount as skipper and we’ve got the makings of a really strong squad. I’ve never played at Cardiff before and I’m looking forward to seeing the Welsh Fire fans making lots of noise at Sophia Gardens.”

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred said, “It is brilliant news to welcome 16 more international stars to The Hundred. Players from seven countries have been selected and it’s great to welcome the likes of Mohammad Hasnain, Deepti Sharma and Suzie Bates to The Hundred this year. This continues to take the quality of cricket to another level and we can’t wait for a second summer of incredible sporting action.”

Team-by-team – Overseas Wildcard Draft highlights

Welsh Fire selected Australian star and World Cup winner Nicola Carey as the first women’s overseas selection. Afghanistan teenage spinning sensation Noor Ahmad will be heading to Cardiff after turning heads at the recent ICC U19 Men’s World Cup.

Oval Invincibles chose exciting Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain as the first men’s overseas selection. They selected New Zealand batter Suzie Bates, one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the women’s game, in an impressive pair of picks.

Trent Rockets named experienced Australian batter Elyse Villani as their women’s overseas pick while Australian Daniel Sams joins after impressing with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and Essex Eagles in the Vitality Blast.

Northern Superchargers picked up Namibian allrounder David Wiese as the second men’s pick. Australian international Heather Graham joins after being part of her country’s recent World Cup winning squad.

Manchester Originals snapped up New Zealand fast bowler Lea Tahuhu who will link up with her wife and fellow New Zealand legend Amy Satterthwaite at Emirates Old Trafford. The men selected Australian batter Ashton Turner who is currently captaining Durham in the Vitality Blast.

New Zealand bowler Jess Kerr will link up with her sister Amelia at London Spirit. On the men’s side they secured powerful Australian batter Ben McDermott off the back of his great form for Hampshire Hawks in the Vitality Blast.

Birmingham Phoenix retained South African spinner Imran Tahir with their men’s pick. Tahir provided one of the moments from the first year of The Hundred with his match winning hat-trick against Welsh Fire, the first in the competition. The women’s side selected India spinning allrounder Deepti Sharma who featured for London Spirit in the first edition of The Hundred.

Southern Brave secured Australian spinner Molly Strano, the top wicket taker in the history of the Women’s Big Bash League, and explosive New Zealander batter Finn Allen with the last men’s pick.

The window for the women’s sides to sign players remains open with teams having until 30 June to complete their squads. The men’s squads will be completed with the domestic Vitality Wildcard draft on 7 July.

Tickets – and more activities around the ground

Fans can get their seats now to avoid missing out on the sport and entertainment event of the summer with tickets now on sale at www.thehundred.com.

The Hundred offers an affordable day out for the family, with U16 tickets priced at £5 and free for children aged five and under, and there are family-friendly stands in every ground.

Fans are advised to buy soon so as not to miss out - tickets are selling fast.

Ticket-buyers can also look forward to:

• More activities around the ground to keep the whole family entertained.
• A diverse range of great music acts through our continuing partnership with BBC Music Introducing.
• Enhanced food and drink offerings to cater for everyone inside the grounds.
• A bigger range and more availability of merchandise this year so you can get kitted out in your team colours.

Notes to editors

Full list of players announced today