Women's Hundred contracts retained for 2021

Contracts worth between £3,600 and £15,000 will be honoured for next year after the inaugural year was postponed

• The Women's Hundred: Squad lists
• Domestic additions for Women's Hundred confirmed

Leading women's players will have the option to retain their contract for The Hundred on identical terms for 2021, the England and Wales Cricket Board have confirmed.

The inaugural edition of the competition scheduled for July and August of this year was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Though England's men have played a full summer and domestic competitions such as the Bob Willis Trophy, Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, and T20 Blast have been staged, the ECB have reported a £100m financial black hole caused by the impact of the virus.

However, female players signed up to the much-anticipated competition will be unaffected with their Hundred deals being honoured for the rescheduled tournament next year.

Sixty-eight domestic and overseas players had agreed to terms to play for one of the eight newly-formed sides in the maiden edition of the 100-ball showcase.

They can choose to keep those contracts for 2021 but are also free to move on and negotiate with a rival side from October.

"Covid-19 has caused some uncertainty for athletes, especially female athletes, so being able to provide immediate clarity and assurance to the women’s players that they will get the chance to re-sign for the same team and for the same fee in 2021 is very important," head of the women's Hundred Beth Barrett-Wild, told The Daily Telegraph.

England seamer Anya Shrubsole, who is staying with Southern Brave, added to Sky Sports: "I'd expect that a large majority will stay the same. There may be a little bit of movement but you obviously signed up for those teams because that's where you wanted to play, so I can't see a huge amount of change within the year.

Fellow England internationals Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont, and Nat Sciver had all signed up for The Hundred alongside foreign stars such as Australia trio Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, and Ashleigh Gardner.

The Daily Telegraph understand that no agreement has been reached for men's contracts but talks are ongoing. Deals, which had ranged between £30,000 and £125,000, will be reduced by 20 per cent.

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