Ben Stokes to play for Andrew Flintoff's team in The Hundred

England's red-ball skipper Ben Stokes is all set to make his comeback in the upcoming edition of The Hundred as he will be playing for Andrew Flintoff’s Northern Superchargers. The talismanic all-rounder will join the squad after the completion of the England versus West Indies Test series.

Stokes will be available for four games for the Superchargers. He missed the competition last year but will be back in the latest instalment of the one-of-a-kind league to enthrall the cricket fraternity. Apart from Stokes, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith, who are in England's squad for the Tests against the West Indies will join their respective teams in The Hundred after fulfilling their national commitments. The marquee event gets underway on July 23, while the third and final Test match starts on July 26.

The presence of top-tier international cricketers will undoubtedly enhance the level of competition in The Hundred. Notable names like Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Dillon Pennington are in line to feature from the initial rounds, while Chris Woakes is slated to join from Tuesday, August 6.

Meanwhile, the players who will be picked for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Emirates, Old Trafford, on Wednesday, August 21, will be available for The Hundred’s Eliminator and Final, scheduled for August 17 and 18, respectively, depending on their roles and workload management.

Also Read: Jofra Archer is desperate to get back in Test shirt for England: Ben Stokes

Coming to the women's tournament, England’s players are all geared up to showcase their skills, with their international duties finished for the summer. The competition also boasts a star-studded roster of replacements to cover for early-round international selections and injuries. Besides, India’s Deepti Sharma, Australia’s Kim Garth, and New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner are among the notable inclusions in the women's and men's competitions, respectively.

The Hundred Men's event will begin on July 23

The curtain raiser at the Kia Oval will feature a performance by Cat Burns, while Zara Larsson will mesmerise the crowd at the grand finale at Lord’s on August 18.  With ticket sales soaring, last year’s competition drew over 500,000 attendees, with a record 3,10,000 for the women’s matches alone.

Also Read: The Women's Hundred: Deepti Sharma replaces Grace Harris in London Spirit

The men's league will start with Oval Invincibles taking on Birmingham Phoenix at the Kennington Oval, in London, on July 23. Meanwhile, their women's teams will be in action earlier on the same day to kick-start the women's competition.