Key points
- IPL-linked teams not considering Pakistan players
- Sixty-seven Pakistan players enter auction
- ECB insists tournament welcomes global talent
ISLAMABAD: England limited-overs captain Harry Brook has said it would be “a shame” if Pakistan players were left out of this year’s edition of The Hundred.
Players from Pakistan are not being considered by the four franchises with Indian Premier League (IPL) links ahead of the competition’s draft on 11 and 12 March. A total of 67 Pakistan players — 63 men and four women — have registered for the auction.
Brook, who has signed a £465,000 deal with Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds — formerly Northern Superchargers — will be the highest-paid player in the tournament. The 26-year-old, speaking before England’s Super Eights clash with Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup, said selection matters were out of his hands.
“My main focus at the minute is to play the T20 World Cup,” he said.
“That part of The Hundred is above me and whatever they decided to do is up to them.
Great cricket nation
“Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years and have some awesome players, some of the best players in the world.
“It would be a shame not to see some of them in The Hundred.”
Four of the eight Hundred teams — Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds — are now partly owned by IPL franchise groups. Pakistan players have not featured in the IPL since 2009 and have also been absent from South Africa’s SA20, where all six teams are IPL-owned.
An ECB spokesperson said: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.
“Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”
