Jos Buttler, Matt Parkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone will play for the Manchester Originals in The Hundred next season.
England internationals Jos Buttler and Kate Cross have officially been selected for the Manchester Originals men’s and women’s teams respectively.
Joining Jos Buttler on the men’s team will be leg-spin bowler Matt Parkinson and seamer Saqib Mahmood, both of whom received their first England call-ups for the upcoming tour to New Zealand. The players were selected in the first stage of The Hundred Men’s Draft, which culminates live on Sky, on 20th October.
The women’s team has also picked their first players, each announcing two of the centrally contracted England Women players in the first stage of the Player Selection Process. Playing alongside Kate Cross will also be the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2018, Sophie Ecclestone.
Also revealed is the identity and kit for Manchester Originals, which will feature McCoys as its official Team Partner.
The men’s team, based at Emirates Old Trafford, will go head-to-head with stars from seven other teams in the competition, including England Test captain Joe Root – who has joined Trent Rockets – and England white ball captain Eoin Morgan at London Spirit. Manchester Originals will also face England’s star bowler of the summer Jofra Archer as part of Southern Brave.
The women’s team will face off against England captain Heather Knight, skipper for London Spirit. Anya Shrubsole – Knight’s vice-captain for England – will join up with Danni Wyatt at Southern Brave. Nat Sciver will join Trent Rockets, alongside Katherine Brunt.
Jos Buttler said: “There’s never been a more exciting time to be an English cricketer, especially following the amazing summer we’ve had. It’s great to be involved with The Hundred and I’m delighted to join Manchester Originals and play at Emirates Old Trafford, a ground that I know really well. Hopefully I can bring that added bit of experience to the team and support some of the younger guys coming through.”
Kate Cross commented: “The introduction of The Hundred is a huge moment for the game of cricket and I’m thrilled to be a part of it with Manchester Originals. The new competition will undoubtedly help more people see how powerful and amazing women’s cricket can be – and hopefully it will encourage many of those who’ve enjoyed it to get involved too.”
Men’s Head Coach Simon Katich said: “Manchester Originals are very excited to announce that we have selected Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood as our two local icon picks. Both are outstanding young local players and have made strong starts to their careers particularly for Lancashire in T20 cricket.
“Their recent selection in the England T20 squad highlights how highly regarded they both are not only for their potential to keep improving but also on the back of some very good performances in T20 and white ball cricket for Lancashire over the last few seasons. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to play big roles in The Hundred for Manchester.”
Sanjay Patel, managing director of The Hundred said: “We are thrilled to share the first players who will be starring in the men’s and women’s competitions for The Hundred next summer. Our ambition is to inspire the next generation to pick up a bat and ball and we hope that a fire will be ignited in young people as they see their sporting heroes play in The Hundred.”
The final stage of the The Hundred Draft is set to provide an historic first for British sport when it is staged on Sunday, October 20. It will be broadcast live on Sky One and Sky Sports, with extensive coverage across the BBC.
The five-week competition will be played at the height of summer, starting July 2020, featuring eight new city-based teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (Lord’s and the Oval).
