Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Ashleigh Gardner are set to remain a part of the Birmingham Phoenix for the inaugural The Hundred competition in England next year.
Zampa, Australia men’s spinner, and Gardner, Australian women all-rounder, are among the 8 other players who have been retained by the Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday (December 3) for the upcoming 100-ball tournament to be held in England and Wales in 2021.
England and Wales Cricket Board’s new format tournament was scheduled for this year, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic since The Hundred’s one of the key aims is to attract new spectators to cricket and the outbreak would not allow fans into grounds.
Apart from Zampa, Warwickshire’s Adam Hose, Henry Brookes, and Worcestershire seamer Pat Brown have been signed up for the Birmingham Phoenix men’s team while Gardner joined Warwickshire and Central Sparks batters Ria Fackrell, Eve Jones, and Marie Kelly at the Edgbaston-based women’s outfit.
As per an official statement on The Hundred website, Zampa said on Thursday: “I’m over the moon to know that I’m staying with Birmingham Phoenix and to help this new team mount a serious challenge in this first year of The Hundred.”
The spinner further added, “Birmingham is a fantastic city and I’m really looking forward to calling Edgbaston home. Hopefully, we can welcome crowds and our new fans to the ground because, having played against England at Edgbaston, I know that the atmosphere there is awesome.”
Meanwhile, Gardner said on her retention: “We’ve got the makings of an excellent Birmingham Phoenix squad and I can’t wait to get going in next year’s competition and to continue working with head coach Ben Sawyer, who I know so well from Sydney Sixers and the Australia women’s team.”
She concluded, “Speaking to players around the world, there’s so much excitement around The Hundred and it’s fantastic to see so many of the best players coming for this first competition. I believe that we’ve got a great chance of going all of the ways and bringing the trophy back to Birmingham.”
Noteworthy, Birmingham Phoenix had last month announced that Birmingham-born England all-rounder Moeen Ali will captain the men’s team while New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine will lead the women’s team in the tournament next year.
(With ECB/The Hundred Inputs)
