Australia cricketers David Warner and Marcus Stoinis have pulled out of the inaugural edition of ECB's ambitious 100-ball tournament, The Hundred to be played later this July in England and Wales.

Warner and Stoinis were set to play for Southern Brave in The Hundred. The ECB could see more withdrawals due to the international commitments and the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Swashbuckling opening batsman, Warner, and all-rounder Stoinis have been named in Australia's preliminary squad for white-ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh, which overlap with The Hundred's window from July 21-August 21, leading the two withdrawn from the competition.

Read Also: India's Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Shafali Verma to headline 'The Hundred'

The ECB said in a statement to ESPNcricinfo on Friday (June 11): “It is obviously disappointing to lose players with the ability of David and Marcus, but the realities of COVID-19 mean there are practicalities that are difficult for some overseas players to overcome.”

The statement further reads: “Replacement overseas players will be signed by Southern Brave, and we look forward to the Hundred showcasing world-class cricket this summer.”

Noteworthy, Warner and Stoinis were signed up by the Southern Brave for whopping GBP 100,000 and GBP 80,000 respectively for the inaugural edition of The Hundred.

On the other hand, New Zealand women cricketer Sophie Devine also pulled out of the new format tournament, while Pakistan’s young pacer Shaheen Afridi is also likely to withdraw from The Hundred after being named in Pakistan's T20I and Test squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell and Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan are also likely to be unavailable for the first half of the tournament due to national commitments. 

(With ANI Inputs)​​​​​​