New Delhi: The eight men’s teams in The Hundred have selected their wildcard draft picks to complete their squad line-ups.
With the wildcard draft being the last chance for the men’s teams to secure the final domestic player for this summer’s 100-ball competition, Northern Superchargers selected Durham allrounder Ben Raine as the first pick. Oval Invincibles chose to snap up Kent youngster Jordan Cox next, with seamer Sam Cook being selected third by Trent Rockets.
A draw determined the order of the draft and the full list is below:
Northern Superchargers – Ben Raine (Durham)
Oval Invincibles – Jordan Cox (Kent)
Trent Rockets – Sam Cook (Essex)
Southern Brave – Jake Lintott (Warwickshire)
Manchester Originals – Fred Klaassen (Kent)
London Spirit – Blake Cullen (Middlesex)
Welsh Fire – Leus du Plooy (Derbyshire)
Birmingham Phoenix – Dillon Pennington (Worcestershire)
Young players Blake Cullen (19), Jordan Cox (20), Dillon Pennington (22), and Sam Cook (23) are rewarded for excellent Vitality Blast campaigns whilst Jake Lintott’s remarkable journey into professional cricket continues with his selection by Southern Brave.
Expect everything. Expect it fast. ⚡
Experience The Hundred this summer with tickets available now! pic.twitter.com/ox46fhXPYg
— The Hundred (@thehundred) May 21, 2021
Having initially been drafted by Welsh Fire in 2020, Leus du Plooy returns to the squad as their Wildcard pick, and Kent left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen makes the journey to Manchester to play for the Originals.
Norther Supercharges first pick Ben Raine in an official release said: “There were a few nerves flying around leading up to this because I think every cricketer in the country wanted to be in The Hundred. I thought I’d had a decent Vitality Blast with the ball so I was hopeful of getting a spot.”
“Looking through our team there will be a real Northern feel to it which will be nice. There’s a lot of Durham lads that I’ve played with and Yorkshire lads I’ve played against so there will be a bit of familiarity. It’s a good sign for the amount of talent in the region and I’m very proud to be picked up by the Northern team,” he added.
50 days to go. You won't want to miss it. #BeThere pic.twitter.com/L5bPti6b4z
— The Hundred (@thehundred) June 1, 2021
The Hundred, which is an ECB brainchild, will feature eight teams taking on each other. The first match in the competition will be played between the women’s teams of Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals on July 21.
The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket competition that will see prominent players (both men and women) featuring in the tournament later this year in the English summer.
