Hundreds of cricketers across the country will be tuning into The Hundred draft on Thursday hoping to land a deal and Somerset captain Tom Abell speaks for them all when he says the experience brings “lots of excitement and plenty of nerves”.
With the player retention period closing last month, there are 64 contracts up for grabs in the first televised draft since the inaugural event in 2019, with 30 available in the men’s competition and 34 in the women’s edition.
And the sheer weight of numbers means there is a fierce clamour for contracts, with 252 men and 114 women putting their names forward from the domestic game, joined by an overseas contingent of 519.
Abell, who was let go by Birmingham Phoenix after two years of injury frustration, enters with a reserve price of £40,000 and is understood to be on the radar of a Welsh Fire team with a major rebuilding job on their hands and a vacancy at skipper.
Having finished bottom during a winless 2022 campaign, new head coach Mike Hussey has plenty of leeway to remould the squad, with eight vacancies including two at the maximum £125,000 bracket and one at £100,000.
But Abell admits there is a sense of uncertainty as he waits to see how deals go down.
“There’s always an element of heading into the unknown when you go into a draft, and like a lot of people I’m hoping for the best,” he told the PA news agency.
With the big crowds, top players and the TV audience, if you can get in and perform it can only be good for your career— Tom Abell
“There are a few conversations that happen, you get a feel for whether there’s any interest in you but it all depends what happens in that room, who takes who and which picks come through. When the draft takes place, there is going to be lots of excitement and plenty of nerves kicking around, I’m sure.
“Birmingham were very good to me but I haven’t had much involvement due to injury, so I’m looking for a fresh start. Hopefully I get one and I can stay injury free to make the most of it.
“The Hundred is a huge platform and a massive opportunity. I’ve witnessed how it’s helped the growth of people like Liam Livingstone, a top player who showed really how good he was in the first season, and Will Smeed, who scored the first hundred.
“With the big crowds, top players and the TV audience, if you can get in and perform it can only be good for your career.”
While all eyes will be on the Welsh Fire trolley dash – with Hussey overseeing the men’s overhaul and the women’s team retaining just two of their permitted four players – there is business to do across the board.
In the men’s draw, Oval Invincibles have both £125,000 spaces open, while Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit and Trent Rockets all have one.
Resurgent England batter Ben Duckett, Tom Banton and Sam Hain are among those looking for new homes after departing Welsh Fire, while Reece Topley, Matt Parkinson, David Willey, Olly Stone, Stevie Eskinazi, Jamie Smith and Jake Lintott are among the most prominent names on the long-list. Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes is one of a handful of late entrants in the draft, having previously declined to put his name forward.
In the women’s section, there are five centrally contracted England players available – Danni Wyatt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley and Sarah Glenn – though some of those could be picked back up by the former teams using a ‘right to match’ card.
Wyatt is the only domestic player carrying a reserve, going in at the top fee of £31,250. Indian duo Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have also come in at the maximum base price, as well as New Zealand’s Sophie Devine.
There have been a handful of high-profile withdrawals among the imported talent, headed up by Australia’s Mitchell Starc. He initially entered at £125,000 despite being a key player in Australia’s Ashes campaign, which ends immediately before the start of The Hundred.
Compatriot Jhye Richardson has also opted out, along with South Africans Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs. Megan Schutt, Erin Burns and Elyse Villani are among a group of Australian women to withdraw from the pool, while Annabel Sutherland has cancelled a previously agreed deal at Welsh Fire.
Two Australian players are still hoping to land a bumper deal, with Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis still registered at the maximum base price. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and West Indian Kieron Pollard have both dropped their ask to £100,000, grouping themselves with the likes of Mitch Marsh, Rilee Roussouw, Andre Russell and Babar Azam.
Availability is set to be a big factor in who gets taken on, with New Zealand’s clear August schedule increasing the potential value of picks such as Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway and Michael Bracewell.
