Fatima to be first Pakistani woman to play in Hundred

Fatima Sana will become the first Pakistani woman to play in The Hundred after being selected by Birmingham Phoenix as a wildcard pick.

The 24-year-old all-rounder - who captains Pakistan - will play in this year's competition, which starts on 21 July.

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BBC Sport reported in February that the four Hundred franchises with links to the Indian Premier League were not expected to sign Pakistan players, mirroring the long-standing position in the IPL.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently wrote to all eight franchises to remind them of their responsibilities around anti-discrimination.

The ECB and the teams later released a joint statement saying "players must not be excluded on the grounds of nationality".

Fatima was one of two Pakistan women's players, along with spinner Sadia Iqbal, who went unsold at the original auction in March, although Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was signed by Sunrisers Leeds in the men's auction.

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Fatima is currently playing in the Women's T20 World Cup and scored an unbeaten 55 and took 3-16 in Pakistan's two-wicket defeat by South Africa.

She replaces Australia all-rounder Lucy Hamilton as an overseas player in the Phoenix squad, with Hamilton withdrawn to manage her workload.

Wildcard picks are usually domestic players rewarded for strong form in county cricket, but the mechanism is also used to complete squads before the tournament.

A total of 32 men's and women's players have been selected to fill the final two squad places at each of the eight teams.

Fast bowler Manny Lumsden, 17, has joined Southern Brave, while 18-year-old Seb Morgan has been picked up by MI London.

Wildcard draft picks for The Hundred 2027

Welsh Fire: Niamh Holland, Georgia Davis, Jordan Clark, Dillon Pennington

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Birmingham Phoenix: Mary Taylor, Fatima Sana, Tom Helm, Sean Dickson

London Spirit: Trudy Johnson, Olivia Barnes, Henry Crocombe, Kiran Carlson

Trent Rockets: Amu Surenkumar, Eve Jones, Ben Raine, Ben Sanderson

Manchester Super Giants: Mia Rogers, Beth Langston, James Sales, Adam Finch

MI London: Kate Coppack, Francesca Sweet, Eddie Jack, Seb Morgan

Southern Brave: Naomi Dattani, Katherine Fraser, Manny Lumsden, Saif Zaib

Sunrisers Leeds: Darcey Carter, Sophia Turner, Matty Revis, Charlie Allison

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