Southern Brave sign six key players for The Hundred as men’s retention window slams shut

Kerr signs as a replacement for Suzie Bates, who misses the competition with an ongoing shoulder injury. Kerr will line up alongside Western Storm spinner Fi Morris. Andre Russell and Marcus Stoinis join an exciting men’s squad alongside England seamer Craig Overton and Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley.

Southern Brave are one of eight new teams taking part in The Hundred, a new 100-ball competition that is designed to throw open cricket’s doors to everyone. Boasting world class men’s and women’s players, it will take place this summer and feature eight city-based teams from Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton and two in London. It will be screened live by Sky and the BBC.

The deadline for men’s teams to retain players from their 2020 squads has now passed. Southern Brave will fill their remaining two slots at the Men’s Draft later this month.

A star in the New Zealand team, Amelia Kerr will bring quality with both the bat and ball for a talented Southern Brave outfit. The holder for the highest individual score in a women’s ODI match, in which she also took five wickets for 17 runs, will be a welcome addition to the squad.

Andre Russell will join up with Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan in a team boasting plenty of quality. A regular star in the Indian Premier League, expect plenty of big hits and quick runs.

Andre Russell said: “I’m excited to be a part of The Hundred. Hitting sixes is what I do best, so I hope to give fans what they expect from me. It’s great to see so many great players in the team, including close friends of mine, so I’m really looking forward to the summer.”

Amelia Kerr said: “I’m so excited to represent Southern Brave at The Hundred. I feel like I have the right skill set to compliment what is already an incredibly talented team and it’s great to see so many amazing international players going head-to-head. I’m look forward to putting on a show and continuing to put the women’s game on the map.”

The news comes as the final retained men’s players for The Hundred were named today with 57 players signing up for the action-packed 100-ball competition.

While the men’s retention window – the period during which teams could retain players from their 2020 squads - has now closed, the women’s squads will continue to be revealed until June.

The remaining picks for all eight men’s sides will be unveiled on 23 February. 35 spaces will be up for grabs in the Men’s Draft, including Southern Brave’s two picks.

Birmingham Phoenix have moved to strengthen their men’s squad with the retentions of overseas stars Shaheen Afridi and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson alongside hard-hitting Liam Livingstone and exciting seamer Isabelle Wong.

There will be a local flavour to the Manchester Originals squads with England and Lancashire spinners Alex Hartley and Matt Parkinson staying at Emirates Old Trafford.

Three overseas stars will stay at Northern Superchargers with Australian white ball captain Aaron Finch and compatriot Chris Lynn lining up alongside Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The women’s side continues to develop with England bowlers Beth Langston and Linsey Smith joining.

England and Kent’s Sam Billings is part of an impressive list of retentions at Oval Invincibles. The overseas duo of South Africa skipper Dane Van Niekerk and Nepalese spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will also stay at the Kia Oval.

Visit thehundred.com to find out more about the latest squads and the new 100-ball competition.