Manchester Originals confirm final squads after Vitality Wildcard Draft

With under three weeks to the opening game, Manchester Originals have confirmed their squads for the third year of The Hundred.

In the Vitality Wildcard Draft, the men’s team have signed Max Holden and re-signed Fred Klaassen. Ami Campbell, Amara Carr, Mahika Gaur and Laura Jackson have all signed for the women’s team, as they complete their squad.

Meanwhile, Usama Mir has also been signed as a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga, who will be playing in the Lanka Premier League. Usama 27, is a leg-spinner. He has played for Pakistan and also played for the Karachi Kings in the PSL.

The two teams get underway on 2 August, as they travel to Cardiff to take on Welsh Fire.

New signings announced today:

Birmingham Phoenix: Davina Perrin, Abbey Freeborn, Charis Pavely, Jacob Bethell, Henry Brookes

London Spirit: Richa Ghosh*, Lauren Filer, Chloe Hill, Alice Monaghan, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Matt Critchley, Matthew Wade*, Daryl Mitchell*

Manchester Originals: Ami Campbell, Amara Carr, Mahika Gaur, Laura Jackson, Max Holden, Fred Klaassen, Usama Mir*

Northern Superchargers: Georgie Boyce, Lucy Higham, Grace Ballinger, Grace Hall, Leah Dobson*, Ollie Robinson, Saif Zaib, Matthew Short*

Oval Invincibles: Sophia Smale, Beth Langston, Cordelia Griffith, Claudie Cooper, Lizzie Scott*, Tawanda Muyeye, Zak Chappell, Tom Lawes*, Adam Zampa*

Southern Brave: Kalea Moore, Seren Smale, Ellie Anderson, Mary Taylor, Jafer Chohan, Matt Fisher

Trent Rockets: Jo Gardner, Fran Wilson, Nat Wraith, Cassidy McCarthy*, John Turner, Tom Moores

Welsh Fire: Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Georgia Davis, Kate Coppack, Luke Wells, Chris Cooke

*denotes replacement player

Campbell, 32, played for Manchester Originals in 2022 and is a left handed batter. Amara Carr is a wicketkeeper who plays for Sunrisers, she will provide cover for Ellie Threlkeld if needed. Amara has previously played in the Hundred with London Spirit.

Mahika Gaur was a member of the Manchester Originals Squad in 2022 and plays for Thunder. At just 17, Mahika is a tall left-arm quick bowler who was spotted by Warren Hegg when Thunder visited the UAE on a pre-season tour last year. Right-arm seamer Laura Jackson has also re-signed.

Max Holden is an opening batter for Middlesex. A left-handed batter, he made his professional debut in 2017 for Northants before moving to Middlesex in 2018. Holden scored his maiden century in 2020 when he hit an unbeaten 102 off 60 balls.

Fred Klaassen, 30, returns to Manchester Originals for the third consecutive season having made his debut in the opening game of the Hundred at The Oval in July 2021. Klaassen is a left-arm fast bowler who is also a hard-hitting, lower-order batter.

Klaassen said: "It's great to be back at Manchester Originals. The Hundred is a fantastic competition to take part in and I'm really looking forward to getting back out there in front of the fans at Emirates Old Trafford. The Vitality Wildcard Draft is a really good way to reward form in the Vitality Blast and link up the two competitions, and I'm really happy to be back in Manchester."

Over 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.

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 £12.

London Spirit’s Daniel Bell-Drummond said: “I’m really happy to have been signed in the Vitality Wildcard Draft. It’s great to have a mechanism that rewards form in the Vitality Blast and links up the competitions and I’m hoping to take some of my form into The Hundred. Lord's is a great place to play cricket, we’ve got a great squad.”

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, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

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