Mancs stay Original for historic Hundred!
IT’S been confirmed the name of the new side based at Old Trafford for the new The Hundred competition will be called the Manchester Originals.
And they already have their first players signed up, with Jos Buttler being selected as the England centrally contracted player.
Head coach Simon Katich has also picked Lancashire duo Matty Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood as his ‘local idols.’
The rest of the 15-player squad will be selected in the historic player draft on October 20, with salary bands ranging from £125,000 down to £30,000.
England internationals Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone have been selected for the women’s side, who will be playing their home games as Sedbergh School.
And the kits and logos for the new 100-ball tournament have also been revealed, with the Originals playing in all black, with all eight teams carrying the branding of snack brand KP, who are the official team partners.
Buttler’s selection is no surprise, with Lancashire cricket director Paul Allott revealing earlier in the summer that the England star’s new deal with the Red Rose included becoming the Original’s England player.
Mahmood and Parkinson were key to Lancashire topping the North Group in this years Vitality Blast and have been called up to the England Test squad for the tour of New Zealand. However, their selection means Red Rose stars such as Liam Livingstone, Alex Davies, Dane Vilas and Richard Gleeson will all be up for grabs to other teams in the draft.
Jimmy Anderson will be an official ‘mentor’ for the Manchester side, but won’t play.
With each team only able to select one England centrally contracted player, the Leeds-based side – Northern Superchargers – have gone for Ben Stokes, meaning Yorkshire’s Test captain Joe Root will be playing for Trent Rockets in Nottingham and Jonny Bairstow for the Welsh Fire.
But because of the Test calender, the England players, including Buttler, will play just three group games and potentially Finals Day.
However, big-name players such as Steve Smith, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Rashid Khan, Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan, Kane Williamson and Kagiso Rabada have all expressed interest in taking part in the draft. “There’s never been a more exciting time to be an English cricketer, especially following the amazing summer we’ve had,” said Buttler. “It’s great to be involved with The Hundred and I’m delighted to join Manchester Originals.
“Hopefully I can bring that added bit of experience to the team and support some of the younger guys coming through.”
The Hundred will start on July 17 next year, and will last for five weeks.
“Both Matt and Saqib are outstanding young local players and have made strong starts to their careers particularly for Lancashire in T20 cricket,” said Katich, who will be assisted as head coach by Lancashire’s Glen Chapple and Mark Chilton.
“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 for Lancashire over the last few seasons.
“We are looking forward to seeing them continue to play big roles in The Hundred for Manchester.”