James Anderson will finally turn out in the Hundred this August, joining Manchester Originals after being snapped up in Tuesday’s £31,000 wildcard draft. The 42-year-old – he turns 43 later this month – has rolled back the years for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast, taking 14 wickets in eight matches with that familiar new-ball nip. “I’m having a bit of fun, to be honest,” Anderson told Sky Sports last week. “The body feels good, so why not?”
At the opposite end of the age scale, 17-year-old Rocky Flintoff has been handed a first professional T20 deal by Northern Superchargers, where his father, Andrew, is head coach. Flintoff junior has not yet appeared in the Blast, yet a Lions hundred in Australia and a recent century for England Under-19s convinced the Superchargers’ brains trust he was worth a punt. Former England captain Nasser Hussain called the move “bold but understandable – the lad can clearly play.”
Those two selections were the headline acts in a busy men’s draft that saw every squad top up to 15 players. Southern Brave became the first side to use an overseas wildcard, bringing in Australian batter-all-rounder Hilton Cartwright after replacing Faf du Plessis with Jason Roy last week. Hampshire’s Toby Albert, capable behind the stumps and in front of them, also joins the Brave amid fitness worries over Finn Allen and Laurie Evans.
Trent Rockets, holding the first pick, opted for left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and rewarded seam bowler Ben Sanderson after his best Blast campaign for Northamptonshire. Head coach Andy Flower said, “We needed control through the middle overs, and Callum gives us that.” Dillon Pennington arrives as an injury replacement for John Turner.
Welsh Fire kept an eye on local talent, signing Glamorgan all-rounder Ben Kellaway – a rare ambidextrous spinner – while Birmingham Phoenix added left-arm tweaker Liam Patterson-White and in-form batter Louis Kimber.
In total, eight domestic and one overseas wildcard places were filled:
• Trent Rockets – Callum Parkinson, Ben Sanderson
• Birmingham Phoenix – Liam Patterson-White, Louis Kimber
• Welsh Fire – Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway
• Northern Superchargers – James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff
• Manchester Originals – James Anderson, Marchant de Lange
• London Spirit – Sean Dickson, Ryan Higgins
• Oval Invincibles – George Scrimshaw, Zafar Gohar
• Southern Brave – Toby Albert, Hilton Cartwright
Women’s teams also finalised their squads. Manchester Originals moved quickly for Essex seamer Esmae MacGregor after her 21 Blast wickets, while identical twins Mary and Millie Taylor will line up together at Birmingham Phoenix. “It’s a dream we’ve had since we were kids,” Mary said.
Women’s wildcard selections (£10,000 each) were:
• Birmingham Phoenix – Mary Taylor, Phoebe Brett
• London Spirit – Abi Norgrove, Kate Coppack
• Manchester Originals – Esmae MacGregor, Darcey Carter
• Northern Superchargers – Katherine Fraser, Sophia Turner
• Oval Invincibles – Daisy Gibb, Rebecca Odgers
• Southern Brave – Phoebe Turner, Amara Carr
• Trent Rockets – Grace Thompson, Sophie Morris
• Welsh Fire – Charley Phillips, Alex Griffiths
The Hundred begins on 5 August, with London Spirit hosting Oval Invincibles in a double-header at Lord’s and the final set for 31 August. Tickets remain on sale, though competition for the weekend fixtures is tight. ECB performance director Mo Bobat summed up the draft neatly: “A 43-year-old legend and a 17-year-old rookie on the same list – that’s the beauty of this tournament.”
