Birmingham Phoenix has successfully negotiated with and retained eight players ahead of the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The signings include four players for the men’s team and four players for the women’s team.
The men and women teams of the club retained one overseas player each. They are Australian spinner Adam Zampa and Australian women team all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner.
The four players retained for the men’s team include batsman Adam Hose, pacer Henry Brookes, and Right-arm fast-medium bowler Pat Brown. The players retained in the women’s team include batters Ria Fackrell, Eve Jones, and Marie Kelly.
Moeen Ali will lead the men’s team, while the skipper of the women’s team is New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine.
The Hundred was scheduled to launch in 2020 but had to be postponed till 2021 owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The ‘retention window’ for the men’s team for the 100-ball tournament is open till January. Moreover, the second draft of the men’s team will release in February.
“I’m over the moon to know that I’m staying with Birmingham Phoenix and to help this new team mount a serious challenge in this first year of the Hundred,” Zampa said.
“Birmingham is a fantastic city and I’m really looking forward to calling Edgbaston home. Hopefully, we can welcome crowds and our new fans to the ground because, having played against England at Edgbaston, I know that the atmosphere there is awesome,” he added.
Gardner said, “We’ve got the makings of an excellent Birmingham Phoenix squad and I can’t wait to get going in next year’s competition.”
As of now the confirmed list of players signed by the Birmingham Phoenix is:
Men- Moeen Ali (captain), Pat Brown, Chris Woakes, Adam Hose, Henry Brookes, Adam Zampa, and Dom Sibley.
Women-Sophie Devine (captain), Ashleigh Gardner, Amy Jones, Ria Fackrell, Marie Kelly, and Eve Jones.
