Aussie star Warner is among big-name players joining Southern Brave

Today the latest additions to the Southern Brave squad, and those of their rivals, for the inaugural season of The Hundred have been unveiled after the teams selected their final men’s picks in The Hundred Draft and more world class women’s signings were announced.

With only two spaces to fill in the men’s Brave squad before The Draft, Aussie star Warner returned to the team that originally drafted him as the third player picked. Joining him is Warwickshire's former Hants and Sussex spinner Briggs.

Men’s team head coach Mahela Jayawardene adds the pair to a line-up already containing Jofra Archer and Andre Russell, who were retained from last year’s squad.

Meanwhile women’s team head coach Charlotte Edwards has welcomed England all-rounder Dunkley to her squad as their line-up continues to take shape. Sophia will join Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole and Stafanie Taylor, who have been retained from last year’s squad.

Players are being signed on an individual basis by the eight teams in the women’s competition, with no equivalent Draft event. Teams will continue to fill their squads over the coming months.

The teams, based at The Ageas Bowl, Southampton, will face seven other teams in the competition when it starts in July 2021. As well as offering world-class cricket, The Hundred aims to open the game up to more families and young people by fusing action-packed, fast-paced cricket with blockbuster entertainment off the pitch.

The fixtures, published earlier today, see Southern Brave taking on Birmingham Phoenix on Friday 30 July in their first home match.

In a sporting first, the competition will launch with a women’s fixture as the headline act, with Oval Invincibles taking on Manchester Originals at The Kia Oval on Wednesday 21 July in a match televised live on Sky and BBC – with the men’s sides following suit the next day.

Aside from the standalone opening women’s and men’s games, each day of the competition will feature a men’s and women’s match, played at the same venue, with tickets allowing fans to watch both matches.

All men’s and women’s games will be broadcast live on Sky. The Hundred will also be covered extensively across the BBC, including live television coverage of 10 men’s games and up to eight live women’s matches, including The Hundred Final for both the women’s and men’s competitions, which will take place at Lord’s on 21 August.

Jayawardene, Southern Brave men’s head coach, said: “To be able to bring David (Warner) back into the fold is a huge boost for our team. We were so excited when we grabbed him in the first Draft, so it’s great to have him back. To also bring in someone of Danny Briggs’ quality as well is exciting for this team.”

Dunkley said: “It is brilliant news that I’m staying at Southern Brave. In Charlotte Edwards, we’ve got an all-time great as our Head Coach and a squad full of talent including the likes of Anya Shrubsole and Stafanie Taylor. We’ll fancy our chances against anyone this summer and I can’t wait to get started. The Hundred is such an amazing opportunity for women’s cricket.”

Edwards, Southern Brave women’s head coach, said: “I’m delighted that Sophia (Dunkley) is staying with Southern Brave. She’s an incredible asset to this team with the ball and bat in her hands. We have a really strong squad with some incredible firepower, and I can’t wait to work with all of them.”