Daniel Vettori selects some of the best international and domestic stars including Liam Livingstone and Kane Williamson in The Hundred Draft
On Sunday, at The Hundred Draft, Birmingham Phoenix welcomed 14 new players to the men’s team. Assistant Coach Daniel Vettori went head-to-head with seven competing Head Coaches to select the very best players to represent the Birmingham-based team in The Hundred next summer.
Chosen from a 570-strong player pool, top order batsman Liam Livingstone was the first player picked. Joining him is all-rounder Ravi Bopara and New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, who was picked from the international player pool.
Vettori quickly snapped up Benny Howell and Tom Helm, joining existing teammates England international Chris Woakes and fellow World Cup winner Moeen Ali, who were selected in the first stage of the draft process, earlier this month. The men’s team, based at Edgbaston, will face seven other teams in the competition when it starts in Summer 2020.
BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX MEN’S PLAYER CONFIRMATIONS
| Team | Players picked on the 20thOctober | Men’s players selected on 3rdOctober |
| Birmingham Phoenix | Liam Livingstone (8); Moeen Ali (9) – selected on 3rdOctober; Kane Williamson (24); Ravi Bopara (25); Benny Howell (40); Tom Helm (41); Shaheen Afridi (56); Pat Brown (57) – selected on 3rd October; Adam Hose (72); Cameron Delport (73); Henry Brookes (88); Adam Zampa (89); Riki Wessels (104); Chris Cooke (105) | Chris Woakes (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Moeen Ali, Pat Brown (Local Icons) |
During the evening, Birmingham Phoenix also announced the signing of Sophie Devine to join the women’s team as a marquee player. Devine’s signing represents the first announcement of the second stage of the player selection process within the women’s competition. She will join England stars Amy Jones and Kirstie Gordon who were unveiled in stage one of the process earlier this month.
Other notable player selections on the night included Rashid Khan for Trent Rockets, Andre Russell for Southern Brave, Aaron Finch for Northern Superchargers, Steve Smith for Welsh Fire, Sam Billings for Oval Invincibles, Imran Tahirfor Manchester Originals and Mark Wood for London Spirit.
Ravi Bopara, commented: “It’s been a great year for me, and being selected by Birmingham Phoenix has just topped it off. The Hundred is going to be a great way to get so many new people into cricket, so I can’t wait to be part of it next summer and play alongside so many other amazing stars at Edgbaston”
Andrew McDonald Birmingham Phoenix Head Coach, said: “Although I couldn’t be in the studio tonight for The Hundred Draft, I am thrilled with the squad my coaching team have picked for Birmingham Phoenix. We’re confident we have the right mix of talented players in place to ensure we have a really successful first season next summer.”
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred said:“We now have eight quality men’s teams and eight more world class women’s players confirmed to feature in The Hundred next summer. The Hundred Draft was an incredible way to put the men’s teams together – another great historical moment for British sport this year. We hope these new teams will inspire existing fans and newcomers to not only rally behind them, but also pick up a bat and ball and join in.”
If you missed the live picks, you can catch up on the action via Sky Sports On Demand, Sky Sports Digital platforms, BBC iPlayer, thehundred.comand The Hundred Facebook and Instagram.
For the latest news and priority access to tickets visit thehundred.com
