Meg Lanning, Nicholas Pooran, Beth Mooney and Andre Russell snapped up in The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage

• Seventy-five players on the move on busy night at The Shard
  
• Amy Jones and Nicholas Pooran first picks of the night
• Andre Russell, Beth Mooney, Shaheen Afridi, Chamari Athapaththu and Ash Gardner also signed
• First game to be played on Tuesday 23 July with The Kia Oval hosting the opening double-header
• For more information and to sign up for priority ticket access, visit thehundred.com

West Indian big hitter Nicholas Pooran and Australian superstar Meg Lanning were the big stories of the night at The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, joining Northern Superchargers and London Spirit as their first picks.

In the women’s competition, England wicket-keeper Amy Jones was the first move of the evening – re-joining Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine at her local club Birmingham Phoenix.

England Men’s legend Andrew Flintoff used the first pick of the men's competition to draft Pooran, making him the first of five West Indian men to be selected in the first round of picks – alongside Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer.

England players Dawid Malan, Amy Jones, Tom Banton, Ollie Pope and Lauren Filer were also on the move, as well as international superstars Beth Mooney, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Ash Gardner.

Meg Lanning said: "I'm so happy to be joining London Spirit. It'll be extra special to make Lord's home for a month. I've watched a bit of The Hundred over the last few years and it looks like a lot of fun, with some really good atmospheres. I can't wait to meet up with Heather and the rest of the squad in the summer, and hopefully help us towards some success on the field."

Nicholas Pooran said: "It was exciting seeing Freddie Flintoff make me his first pick at Northern Superchargers. The Hundred looks to be a top competition and I’ve always enjoyed playing in England. I know The Hundred has worked really hard to get kids and families involved so I’m sure it will be a great atmosphere at Headingley. I’m looking forward to returning there this summer and getting started."

First pick of the night Amy Jones will be involved in the opening game of The Hundred’s fourth year, as her Phoenix side travel to The Kia Oval on Tuesday 23 July to face Oval Invincibles – the first of 68 games that promise world class men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.

The Hundred Draft Picks

Birmingham Phoenix Women’s: Amy Jones, Richa Ghosh, Katie Levick, Seren Smale, Ailsa Lister, Chloe Brewer

Birmingham Phoenix Men’s: Naseem Shah, Sean Abbott, James Fuller, Daniel Mousley

London Spirit Women’s: Meg Lanning, Cordelia Griffith, Eva Gray, Hannah Jones, Niamh Holland

London Spirit Men’s: Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Michael Pepper

Manchester Original Women’s: Beth Mooney, Sophie Molineux, Lauren Filer, Eve Jones, Phoebe Graham

Manchester Original Men’s: Sikandar Raza, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Josh Hull

Northern Superchargers Women’s: Annabel Sutherland, Grace Ballinger, Lucy Higham, Ella Claridge, Davina Perrin

Northern Superchargers Men’s: Nicholas Pooran, Daniel Sams, Tom Lawes, Graham Clark

Oval Invincibles Women’s: Chamari Athapaththu, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Jo Gardner, Lizzie Scott, Georgie Boyce

Oval Invincibles Men’s: Dawid Malan, Donovan Ferreira, Tom Lammonby

Southern Brave Women’s: Smriti Mandhana, Naomi Dattani, Lauren Cheatle, Kalea Moore, Tilly Corteen-Coleman

Southern Brave Men’s: Kieron Pollard, Laurie Evans, Akeal Hosein, Danny Briggs

Trent Rockets Women’s: Ash Gardner, Grace Scrivens, Heather Graham, Katie George, Josie Groves, Kira Chathli, Cassidy McCarthy

Trent Rockets Men’s: Rovman Powell, Imad Wasim, Tom Banton, Calvin Harrison, Jordan Thompson, Adam Lyth

Welsh Fire Women’s: Jess Jonassen, Phoebe Franklin, Ella McCaughan, Claire Nicholas, Alex Griffiths

Welsh Fire Men’s: Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shaheen Afridi, Jake Ball

A record 580,000 fans were in attendance across The Hundred last season, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition. The Hundred’s blend of high-quality sport and entertainment saw 41% of all tickets sold to families, 23% to juniors and 30% to women.

There is currently an exclusive window open to buy tickets for fans who have previously attended The Hundred, until March 27.

There will be a priority window open from 9-23 April for all fans who sign up in advance at thehundred.com. The general sale period begins from 25 April.

Tickets are once again great value, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 3-15 (free for under 3s) and adults starting from £11.

All games will again be 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.

About The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage:

More information about all the moves from the The Hundred Draft powered by Sage is available here.

About The Hundred fixtures:

The Hundred fixtures are available here.