The Hundred: 165 foreign players register for the draft; AB de Villiers gives it a miss

All the who’s who of international cricket: the mavericks, the bashers, the T20 stalwarts, the yorker kings, wrist-spinners, the entertainers, have thrown their hat into the ring in the draft of the new competition: England Cricket Board’s brainchild, The Hundred. As many as 165 foreign players such as Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Steven Smith, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rashid Khan, Aaron Finch have registered themselves for the mega draft, scheduled to take place later this month [October 20].

Amidst all this brouhaha, speculations were rife around the absence of the Superman, AB de Villiers. Notably, De Villiers, who recently signed for the Brisbane Heat franchise in the Big Bash League, had previously expressed his interest to feature in the competition.

No AB de Villiers in The Hundred

According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, De Villiers’ main concern is not financial as the top brand picks will be paid £125,000 but it is the scheduling, with each team’s eight group games spread out over the course of a month rather than a shorter time span.

The former South African captain, who retired from international cricket, citing the fact that he needed to spend more time with his family, recently played for Middlesex in the Virality Blast and is slated to turn out for the Brisbane Heat franchise in the next edition of the BBL. De Villiers is a bonafide legend, a crowd puller; a maverick who has talent, skill, and temperament tuned to its zenith, and his absence will certainly affect the popularity of the competition.

Meanwhile, the players in the draft will have a choice to select a minimum salary [Base Price] at which they will agree to render their service to a franchise. Each team will also get an opportunity to pick two players in each of the seven salary bands, the lowest being £30,000 [US$ 37,000].

The Hundred, which has seen 165 players register their names for the inaugural draft begins on July 17, 2020, across the length and breadth of eight cities and will culminate in a grand finale on August 16, 2020.