All-rounder Dan Douthwaite was selected in The Hundred draft and will return to Sophia Gardens with Welsh Fire.
The 26-year-old hard-hitting batter and seam bowler was picked by new Men’s head coach Mike Hussey in the 6th round and will join a new-look Welsh Fire side stocked full with exciting talent.
Sophia Dunkley, Tom Abell, Shaheen Afridi and Shabnim Ismail headlined an exciting day for Welsh Fire at The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage.
With the most picks of the eight teams, Fire kicked off the women's draft by selecting England Women’s Sophia Dunkley. Shabnim Ismail also joined the side, arriving from two-time winner Oval Invincibles. Spinner Alex Hartley returns for her second year.
Welsh Fire men came into the draft with eight picks and came out with explosive top-order batter Tom Abell as their first pick. Abell was joined by England all-rounder David Willey, Pakistani duo Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf and New Zealand’s batter Glenn Phillips.
Douthwaite was then added to the squad, and was delighted by his selection.
“It is and incredible feeling to get that call,” said Douthwaite.
“It was all a bit surreal, but I am really excited to be representing Glamorgan in The Hundred this year. To be able to come back to Sophia Gardens with Welsh Fire is amazing and I cannot wait to meet up with the squad.
“I have worked incredibly hard this winter and pre-season, and I feel as if I am at the top of my game at the moment with both bat and ball. I know that I can add to the team with what I bring and I can’t wait to get my teeth sunk into things.”
The Hundred Draft saw 64 spots filled across the men’s and women’s competition, with the eight teams taking it in turns to select players – the order for selections is based on last year’s finishing positions.
The open market process will see the remaining 56 places filled in the women’s competition, while 16 spots remain up for grabs in the men’s competition by virtue of The Vitality Wildcard Draft, which will be held in the week commencing 3 July.
Across the men’s and women’s competitions, the following players were signed:
Women’s
Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Laura Harris, Alex Hartley.
Men’s
Tom Abell, David Willey, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Glenn Phillips, Roelof van der Merwe, Stephen Eskinazi and Dan Douthwaite.
The third year of The Hundred will start with a double-header at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August – the first of 34 matchdays that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.
More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.
Tickets are now exclusively on sale for anyone who has previously bought tickets for The Hundred until 28 March. Those yet to attend can sign up in advance at thehundred.com to get priority ticket access from 5–18 April.
Tickets will then go on general sale on Thursday 20 April. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.
Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.
To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
To view all the players picked in The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, please visit www.thehundred.com/draft.