Katich opts for spin in first draft
CRICKET CHRIS OSTICK
LANCASHIRE captain Dane Vilas is set to skipper the Manchester Originals in The Hundred after being picked for £125,000 in Sunday night’s historic draft.
The South African, who has had a stunning season with the Red Rose, was perhaps the surprise choice in the first round - being picked instead of Australian Glenn Maxwell - with the Emirates Old Trafford based side also selecting 40-yearold leg spinner Imran Tahir.
But Originals head coach Simon Katich says Vilas was an easy pick.
“He is definitely a leading candidate to captain,” said the Australian. “I was around the Lancashire team for a week during the Blast this summer and was very impressed with how he went about captaining the side.
“We wanted leaders, which is why we wanted to lock him in early. We didn’t want to take any risks with leadership.”
Manchester - who already had England contracted player Jos Buttler and ‘local icons’ Saqib Mahmood, 22, and Matthew Parkinson, 22, in their squad - have gone for a mix of experience and youth for the new tournament, which starts next summer.
Sussex opener Phil Salt, 23, and Somerset batsman Tom Abell,
25, were selected in round two, while Katich - helped in the draft by assistant and Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple – also plumped for Worcestershire batsman Joe Clarke,
23, Warwickshire’s Ed Pollock, 24, and left-field pick Eddie Byrom, 22, from Somerset who has played just a handful of T20 games.
But he also went for experience, with
Aussie all-rounder Dan Christian, Wayne Madsen - who helped Derbyshire to their first Finals Day this year - Australian fast bowler Wayne Parnell and
South African
Marchant De Lange.
And with New Zealand’s left-arm spinning all rounder Mitchell Santner adding to leggies Tahir and Parkinson, Katich is certainly expecting spin to play a big part at Old Trafford.
And Buttler believes that could be key. He said: “Spin always plays a big part in short format games, especially at Old Trafford. Leg spinners have proven the most valuable players at time in T20 cricket.
“Parkinson and Tahir will take a lot of wickets for us.
“We have a lot of guys in the young 20s, which means we can look to build a franchise for the future in Manchester.
“Parkinson and
Saqib
can by Originals players for the next 10 years and you can build a franchise around them.”
Just four other Lancashire players were picked up in the draft, with Liam Livingstone one of the first picked, going for a whopping £125,000 to Birmingham Phoenix. Richard Gleeson will play for Leeds-based Northern
Superchargers for £60,000 while new signing Luke Wood will return to Trent Bridge with the Rockets for £50,000. Alex Davies (£40,000) will play for the Southern Brave.
Rashid Khan was the first player selected in the draw by Trent Rockets, but Chris Gayle went undrafted. West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell went next to the Southern Brave, with Australia batsman Aaron Finch third to the Superchargers. The Welsh Fire selected Australia duo Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith.