David Warner withdraws from The Hundred in favour of Australia v Zimbabwe ODI series

The 33-year-old had been a first-round pick for Southern Brave at the league's player draft in October

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David Warner has become the first international player to pull out of the inaugural season of The Hundred.

The Australian opener had been set to team up with Jofra Archer and Andre Russell in Southampton for the Southern Brave squad, having been selected in the first round of the draft in the £125,000 category.

But Warner's manager James Erskine has now told the Sydney Morning Herald that the batsman will no longer be participating in order to ensure his availability for international duty.

Ten Australian players were selected by the eight men's franchises in October's launch event, with the league's start date of July 17 immediately following a string of white-ball games against England. Three T20s and three ODIs are set to conclude in Bristol on July 16.

While this was then meant to signify the start of a two-month gap in Australia's men's calendar, a three-match 50-over series at home to Zimbabwe is now set to take place in August, rather than its previously planned date in June.

The ECB and Cricket Australia confirmed last month that players selected for the series would be required to return to Australia by August 4, limiting possible involvement in The Hundred to little more than the tournament's opening fortnight.

Under competition regulations, Southern Brave would be permitted to recruit a replacement player on a pro rata basis for any games Warner is unable to play. As he was picked up at the highest salary band, there would be no financial limit to who they could select from the players who had put forward their interest in the tournament.

However, the makeup of the fixture calendar in the coming months remains uncertain in light of the coronavirus pandemic, with the ECB board set to meet today to discuss plans and strategies for the season ahead.

Erskine had previously indicated that Warner would still participate in this year's Indian Premier League regardless of any travel bans put in place by the Australian government. Organisers recently postponed its start date from March 29 to April 15 in response to the ongoing crisis.