Franchise frenzy

LONDON – West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard has been snapped up by London Spirit as their number one pick for the second edition of the Hundred starting in August.

The 34-year-old is one of four former and current West Indies stars selected at the top price of 125 000 British pounds sterling (US$163 440), with all-rounder Andre Russell headed to the Manchester Originals, off-spinner Sunil Narine returning to Oval Invincibles and retired Twenty20 star Dwayne Bravo picked up by Northern Supercharges.

However, there are fears Pollard might miss the majority of the August 3 to September 3 campaign due to international commitments and Caribbean Premier League obligations.

A big-hitting right-hander who bowls deceptive slow medium, Pollard has played 123 One-Day Internationals and nearly 600 T20 games across the international and franchise sphere.

Spirit tried to sign Sunil Narine with the first pick of the draft, but settled for Pollard – despite the fact he is expected to miss the majority of the season – after Oval Invincibles used their right-to-match (RTM) card to retain Narine.

All the players are currently engaged in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL)

Head coach of Manchester Originals Simon Katich has worked with Russell at Kolkata Knight Riders so it was no surprise that Originals used their first pick to sign him.

Superchargers prioritised death bowlers after leaking runs in that phase last season, signing  Bravo (£125k) and Wahab Riaz (£75k) with their first two picks; Bravo should be available for at least six group games before the CPL and Wahab will play the full season.

The Hundred’s managing director, Sanjay Patel, said the likes of Pollard would bring a strong international flavour to the competition.

“With a host of star players confirmed, The Hundred will have fans on the edge of their seats with world class sport, as well as bringing more family-friendly entertainment off the pitch,” he said.

“It’s great to see a mix of new overseas stars like Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell alongside returning stars such as Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine.

“It is also brilliant that some of the best domestic white ball players including Tom Banton and Joe Clarke have been recognised and picked up early.”

Pollard, Russell, Narine and Bravo are all currently campaigning in the Indian Premier League which got underway late last month.

Rising batting star Nicholas Pooran surprisingly went untouched in the draft which took place behind closed doors on Monday but the results of which were announced today.

Veteran former West Indies batsman Chris Gayle was also ignored along with the likes of Australian David Warner and Pakistan maestro Babar Azam.

Jacob Bethell, who left Barbados at age 12 for England and recently turned out for the country at the Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, was signed by Welsh Fire for 30 000 British pounds sterling. This is seen as a developmental signing.

Barbados-born England stars Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan will both turn out for Southern Brave.

Meanwhile, in the women’s version of the Hundred, Barbados and West Indies batter Deandra Dottin has been snatched up by Manchester Originals, while her compatriot allrounder Hayley Matthews is expected to return to Welsh Fire for whom she played in the last tournament.

The window for the women’s sides to sign players remains open with teams having until June 30 to complete their squads. Men’s and women’s sides will be able to select an additional overseas pick in the overseas wildcard draft, while the men’s squads will be completed with the domestic wildcard draft.
(CMC/cricinfo)