Ben Stokes will have the chance to create more Headingley memories after he was acquired by Northern Superchargers for next year's inaugural The Hundred competition.
The England all-rounder produced batting heroics against Australia at the Leeds ground in the recent Ashes series that secured a stunning victory in the third Test.
His unbeaten century gave England an improbable success and was widely hailed as one of the great Test innings, and it had always been expected the Leeds-based Superchargers franchise would sign up Stokes.
READ : The Hundred: All you need to know
Stokes, who was also England's hero in July's ICC Cricket World Cup final, said: "It's great to be coming back to Leeds and playing at Headingley in The Hundred.
"Playing in front of the Headingley crowd is always an unbelievable experience and it's brilliant to be part of this new format. It's fair to say it's been quite a summer, so The Hundred is coming at the perfect time to give me another great challenge."
The picks were confirmed on Thursday as a host of big names, defined as England players and 'local icons', were allocated teams for the series.
The Hundred will become the shortest format yet in county cricket, with each innings lasting 100 deliveries, and the England and Wales Cricket Board has signalled its hope it will bring a new audience to cricket.
READ : Ben Stokes wins players’ award after World Cup heroics
England Test captain Joe Root switches from his regular Yorkshire beat to represent Nottingham-based Trent Rockets, who will also have big-hitting Alex Hales in their line-up, while World Cup-winning ODI skipper Eoin Morgan has signed up for London Spirit, along with Test opener Rory Burns.
Root said he was "thrilled" with the chance to play for the Rockets, adding: "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."
Running from July 17 to August 16, to coincide with school holidays in England, The Hundred sees the 18 county teams pared down to eight franchises.
Adil Rashid has also signed up for Northern Superchargers, with Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow going to Welsh Fire, Jason Roy playing for Oval Invincibles, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali signing up for Birmingham Phoenix, Jos Buttler playing for Manchester Originals and Jofra Archer allocated a place with the Southampton-based Southern Brave.
The selected England players may only be available for a short period, however, given there is a home Test series against Pakistan beginning on July 30.
Star overseas players will be added to the line-ups later, with the likes of Chris Gayle, Steve Smith and David Warner up for grabs in a draft that takes place on October 20.
Comments
Follow Us
SHARE