England World Cup winners Joe Root and Nat Sciver have officially been selected for the Trent Rockets men’s and women’s teams respectively.

Joining Root on the men’s team will be experienced seamer Harry Gurney and explosive opening batsman Alex Hales. The players were selected in the first stage of The Hundred Draft, which culminates live on Sky, on 20th October.

The women’s team has also picked their first players, each announcing two of the centrally-contracted England Women players in the first stage of the Player Selection Process. Playing alongside Nat Sciver on the women’s team will also be England’s star fast bowler Katherine Brunt.

Also revealed is the identity and kit for Trent Rockets, which will feature Skips as its official KP Snacks Team Partner.

Final Trent Rockets player confirmations:

  • Men’s team: Joe Root (England Men’s red ball central contract pick), Harry Gurney, Alex Hales (Local Icons)
  • Women’s team: Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt (England Women’s central contract picks)

The ECB and Stuart Broad have, meanwhile, decided that the Nottinghamshire and England fast bowler will work with the Rockets in a mentoring capacity whilst focussing as a player on England’s Test Series against Pakistan.

The men’s team, based at Trent Bridge, will go head-to-head with the stars of seven other teams in the competition, including England white ball captain Eoin Morgan - who has joined London Spirit – and England’s star bowler of the summer Jofra Archer as part of Southern Brave. Trent Rockets will also face England all-rounder Ben Stokes when he lines up for the Northern Superchargers.

The women’s team, which will be playing at The Pattonair County Cricket Ground, Derby and The Fischer County Ground, Leicester, will face off against Anya Shrubsole – Knight’s vice-captain for England – who is playing alongside Danni Wyatt at Southern Brave. Manchester Originals welcome Sophie Ecclestone, the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2018.

Joe Root said: “I am thrilled to play for Trent Rockets in The Hundred. I’ve always loved playing at Trent Bridge and the opportunity of competing and testing myself against the best players in the world is very exciting. The Hundred is going to be a fantastic tournament, and will get more people watching and involved in our sport.”

Natalie Sciver commented: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Trent Rockets for The Hundred in 2020. It’s such an exciting new competition and I think it will massively benefit the future of women’s cricket. To be side-by-side with the men’s competition is a great opportunity, and we’re all just desperate for it to get started now.”

Of his Local Icon selections Stephen Fleming, Head Coach, Trent Rockets, said: “Alex Hales is a proven performer in the shorter formats of the game. He’s a hero at Trent Bridge, so has a great local connection, and has an outstanding skillset. He has got the ability to hit the ball out of the ground, but also has very good batsmanship. He’s really committed to his game and I’m looking forward to having a top-order batsman as dynamic as him.

“Harry Gurney is similar in that he’s really starting to forge a short-format career around the world, performing well in the CPL recently. He also did well in the Big Bash last season and is proving very difficult to get away in all conditions. His skillset at the end of an innings is very important, where many games are won and lost. For him and Hales to bookend the team in this way is very important.”

Sanjay Patel, managing director of The Hundred said: “We are thrilled to share the first players who will be starring in the men’s and women’s competitions for The Hundred next summer. Our ambition is to inspire the next generation to pick up a bat and ball and we hope that a fire will be ignited in young people as they see their sporting heroes play in The Hundred.”

The final stage of the The Hundred Draft is set to provide an historic first for British sport when it is staged on Sunday, October 20.  It will be broadcast live on Sky One and Sky Sports, with extensive coverage across the BBC.

The five-week competition will be played at the height of summer, starting July 2020, featuring eight new city-based teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (Lord’s and the Oval).

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