The first 18 players confirmed to take part in The Hundred have been revealed today – with Birmingham Phoenix announcing the signing of Dom Sibley in addition to retaining Chris Woakes and Amy Jones.
England Men’s all-rounder Woakes and England Women’s wicketkeeper-batter Jones have been retained from the Birmingham Phoenix’s initial men’s and women’s playing squads respectively.
Sibley has been signed as a Test-contracted player after the 25-year-old batsman was awarded his first ECB Central Contract last month.
The trio join the 18-strong list of players, including the likes of England stars Ben Stokes, Nat Sciver, Kate Cross and Jos Buttler, who have today been confirmed to play in cricket’s new and exciting 100-ball competition.
This news marks the start of a three-month process where, until the end of January, each of the eight teams will be able to retain players from their original men’s squads for the 2021 season. The Hundred teams are also able to retain and sign players to complete their women’s squads. A draft will be held in early 2021 to allocate the remaining players for the men’s squads.
“I’m a proud Brummie and the opportunity to represent Birmingham Phoenix in a new competition is something I am really looking forward to.
Chris Woakes
“I couldn’t envisage myself playing anywhere else and, even though we have had to wait another year before The Hundred starts, I think that will only build the sense of anticipation.
“We’ve got a really strong squad and we’ll see what happens over the window to retain players but I believe we’ve got the makings of a team that can seriously challenge to win the competition.”
“I was never going to go anywhere other than Birmingham Phoenix when I learned we would be able to roll-over our 2020 contract offers for 2021. Edgbaston is home to me and I can’t wait to play in The Hundred next year.
Amy Jones
“Our squad is taking shape and I’m pretty excited about what we’ll do on the pitch. It’s obviously sad we weren’t able to play this year but in a way it builds the suspense even more for a thrilling 2021.”
Dom Sibley said: “It has been a great year for me after making my England debut in New Zealand and then enjoying a first summer in the Test team so this is a welcomed little extra, especially as I get to stay at Edgbaston.
“I was disappointed when I missed out in the draft last year because the opportunity to play in the first season of The Hundred is really exciting and I’m very grateful to Birmingham Phoenix for giving me that chance.”
Dom Sibley
Today’s announcement has confirmed that ten of England’s men’s Test stars, including Woakes and Sibley, will compete when the competition launches next year. The first eight women’s players have also been unveiled, including a host of England players and two of the West Indies’ star performers.
Most teams have retained the same Test players that were due to play for them this year, before the competition was postponed due to Covid-19, with only England batsman Ollie Pope (Welsh Fire) and Rory Burns (Oval Invincibles) moving teams.
Pope joins Welsh Fire, after he was originally drafted by Southern Brave, and will be joined by Katie George who was retained from the team’s initial squad.
London Spirit have decided to keep hold of Zak Crawley and there’s more good news for Spirit fans with Deandra Dottin re-signing off the back of some impressive form against England in the recent Vitality IT20 Series.
Across the Thames, Oval Invincibles signed Burns as a Test Central Contracted player from London Spirit as well as retaining their two England players with Sam Curran and Fran Wilson both confirming their commitment to the men’s and women’s teams respectively.
Further south, Southern Brave keep a pair of superstars with Jofra Archer and West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor signing up, but with Pope joining Welsh Fire they’ll now have a space to fill in the men’s draft.
The two northern teams remain unchanged with Kate Cross and Jos Buttler staying at Manchester Originals, and Lauren Winfield-Hill and Ben Stokes remaining Northern Superchargers players.
England Men’s Test captain Joe Root and England Women’s leading allrounder Nat Sciver will stay at Trent Rockets.
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director for The Hundred, said: “This is a really exciting moment for The Hundred to see where the Test centrally contracted men’s players will be playing next year and to announce the first retained players for the women’s teams.
“Over the next few months we will see world-class players and massive names from around the world committing to The Hundred and we can’t wait to launch the competition in 2021.”
Confirmed players for The Hundred
- Birmingham Phoenix – Amy Jones, Chris Woakes and Dominic Sibley
- London Spirit – Zak Crawley and Deandra Dottin
- Manchester Originals – Jos Buttler and Kate Cross
- Northern Superchargers – Ben Stokes and Lauren Winfield-Hill
- Oval Invincibles – Sam Curran, Rory Burns and Fran Wilson
- Southern Brave – Jofra Archer and Stafanie Taylor
- Trent Rockets – Joe Root and Nat Sciver
- Welsh Fire – Katie George and Ollie Pope
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