Warner won’t play Hundred

AUSTRALIA batsman David Warner withdrew from the inaugural season of the Hundred as cricket’s rulers today approached a final decision on how long Covid-19 will delay the English summer.

Warner’s manager, James Erskine, confirmed he would not be joining Southampton-based Southern Brave, where he had been drafted in the top bracket for £125,000.

The opener will be replaced by his international team-mate Marcus Stoinis, who was the leading runscorer in this year’s Big Bash. The reason given was that Warner would like to play in a threegame series for Australia against Zimbabwe in August, which clashes with the new tournament.

There is also uncertainty over when the Indian Premier League, where Warner has a lucrative deal to captain Sunrisers Hyderabad, will take place.

The Hundred could see more overseas players or coaches withdraw due to coronavirus, with the possibility of travel restrictions remaining in place and personal desire not to travel.

Some counties are also bracing themselves to lose stars for the Vitality Blast.

Ensuring the staging of those two

competitions has been the priority for cricket’s administrators as they work through how long coronavirus will delay the season. That process was due to reach its final stage today as the new Professional Game Group, which includes county chiefs and Tony Irish, the Professional Cricketers Association’s chief, were consulted, before decisions were put to the ECB.

The expectation is that, initially, the first seven weeks of the county season will be postponed. The international summer is also highly likely to require revising.