London Spirit
London Spirit are a franchise 100-ball cricket side representing the historic counties of Middlesex, Essex and Northamptonshire in the newly founded The Hundred competition for the 2020 English and Welsh cricket season. The men's side will play at Lord's, while the women's side will play at the County Ground, Chelmsford and the County Ground, Northampton.
Personnel | |
---|---|
Captain | (Men's team) (Women's team) |
Coach | (Men's team) (Women's team) |
Overseas player(s) | (Men's team) (Women's team) |
Team information | |
Colours | |
Founded | 2019 |
Home ground | Lord's (Men's team) County Ground, Chelmsford & County Ground, Northampton (Women's team) |
Capacity | 30,000 (Lord's) 6,500 (County Ground, Chelmsford) 6,500 (County Ground, Northampton) |
History | |
No. of titles | 0 |
The Hundred title wins | 0 |
The Hundred game wins | 0 |
Official website | London Spirit |
History
The announcement of the new eight-team men's and women's tournament series in 2019 was not without controversy, with the likes of Virat Kohli criticising the England and Wales Cricket Board for pursuing a shift away from Test cricket,[1] while others argued the format should have followed the established and successful Twenty20 format. The ECB however decided it needed a more unique format to draw crowds.
In August 2019 the side announced that former Australian spinner Shane Warne would be the men's team's first coach, while former Australia Women coach Lisa Keightley was appointed coach of the Women's team.[2]
The inaugural Hundred draft took place in October 2019 and saw the Spirit claim Rory Burns as their headline men's draftee, and Heather Knight as the women's headliner. They are joined by England One-Day captain Eoin Morgan and Essex's Dan Lawrence for the men's team, while Freya Davies joins Knight in the women's side.[3]
Honours
Men's honours
- The Hundred – 0
Women's honours
- The Hundred – 0
Ground
The London Spirit men's side play at the home of Cricket, Lord's, in the St. John's Wood area of London, while the women's side will play at the home of Essex County Cricket Club, the County Ground in Chelmsford, and the home of Northamptonshire, the County Ground in Northampton.
Players
Current squad
Men's side
- Bold denotes players with international caps.
- * denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
S/N | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batsmen | ||||||
— | Rory Burns | 26 August 1990 | Left-handed | — | Centrally Contracted player | |
— | Zak Crawley | 3 February 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | ||
— | Joe Denly | 16 March 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | ||
— | Dan Lawrence | 12 July 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | Local Icon player | |
— | Eoin Morgan | 10 September 1986 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Captain; Local Icon player | |
All Rounders | ||||||
— | Glenn Maxwell | 14 October 1988 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player | |
— | Mohammad Nabi | 1 January 1985 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player | |
— | Luis Reece | 4 August 1990 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | ||
— | Roelof van der Merwe | 31 December 1984 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||
Wicketkeepers | ||||||
— | Adam Rossington | 5 May 1993 | Right-handed | — | ||
Pace bowlers | ||||||
— | Kyle Abbott | 18 June 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Kolpak registration | |
— | Mohammad Amir | 13 April 1992 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | Overseas player | |
— | Jade Dernbach | 3 March 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | ||
— | Mark Wood | 11 January 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | ||
Spin bowlers | ||||||
— | Mason Crane | 18 February 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | ||
- Morgan has also played international cricket for Ireland.
- Van der Merwe has also played international cricket for South Africa.
Women's side
- Bold denotes players with international caps.
- * denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
S/N | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batsmen | ||||||
5 | Heather Knight | 26 December 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Captain; Centrally Contracted player | |
— | Tammy Beaumont | 11 March 1991 | Right-handed | — | Centrally Contracted player | |
— | Aylish Cranstone | 28 August 1994 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | ||
— | Naomi Dattani | 28 April 1994 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | ||
All Rounders | ||||||
— | Charlie Dean | 22 December 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
— | Deandra Dottin | 21 June 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Marquee player; Overseas player | |
— | Chloe Tryon | 25 January 1994 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Overseas player | |
Wicketkeepers | ||||||
Pace bowlers | ||||||
— | Freya Davies | 27 October 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Centrally Contracted player | |
— | Hannah Jones | 21 July 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
Spin bowlers | ||||||
References
- sport, The Guardian (28 August 2018). "Virat Kohli gives ECB's 100-ball 'experiment' the thumbs down". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- "Shane Warne named as coach of Lord's Hundred team". The Guardian. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "The Hundred: Central contract and local icon 'drafts' explained". ESPNcricinfo. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
Further reading
- BBC: The Hundred player draft – covering the first draft signings for each region's team