India’s teen batting sensation Shafali Verma has on Monday (May 10) become the fifth Indian women cricketer to sign up for The Hundred – England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new 100-ball tournament to be held in England and Wales this summer, if reports are to be believed.
The 17-year-old has been handed a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to feature in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The swashbuckling opener will play for Birmingham Phoenix under New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine in the 100-ball tournament.
Shafali joins India's T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, deputy Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma in the inaugural edition of The Hundred in England.
The source told ANI: “It is delightful news not just for Shafali but for Indian women's cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will reunite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has already been a very positive road forward for the youngster.”
Read Also: BCCI grants India women cricketers NOCs to participate in The Hundred
Shafali had recently revealed how she trained with the Haryana men's team to improve her game after her spectacular showing in the women's series against South Africa in March 2021 at home.
She told ANI: “The reason behind the fast foot movement is the time I spent with the Haryana men's team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. I cannot thank the Haryana Cricket Association enough for allowing me to train with the team. What it did was that it helped my decision-making power at the crease as I was facing fast bowlers who were touching close to the 140kph mark.”
The youngster added, “So, I had that extra second to decide if I wanted to go back or play off the front foot when I played the T20I series. We had some top-quality bowlers in Mohit Sharma, Ashish Hooda, Ajeet Chahal, Sanjay Pahal, and Aman Kumar among others.”
She concluded, “Yes, I did work on my fitness during the time away from the game due to lockdown. Here too, cannot thank the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) enough. Every player was catered to individually.”
(With ANI Inputs)
