The teams for the first edition of The Hundred were selected at Sunday night’s draft in London.
England’s man of the moment, Ben Stokes, who edged Test captain Joe Root as the landmark pick of the Headingley side, believes the competition represents a step up for the domestic calendar.
“It’s our change that we’ve put to the game of cricket,” said Stokes.
Root went even a step further saying that The Hundred model “has a chance to improve the Test game.”
West Indies star Chris Gayle was overlooked as the eight teams for next year’s inaugural season of The Hundred took shape in a televised player draft that saw Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan emerge as number one pick.
After months of talking and plenty of divided opinions, the new 100-ball domestic competition took shape in a live televised event where each of the city-based franchises filled out their rosters from a field of 571 names, in a studio setting that looked more like a prime-time quiz show than a traditional selection meeting.
But for all the showbiz trappings, Gayle’s A-list status was not enough to earn him one of the 96 contracts dished out on the night.
