Australia's Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney lead women's Hundred talent drain

South Africa pair Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus are among the players enlisted as the competition's biggest names take their lead

The Cricketer | 02/07/2021 at 15:11

The Hundred squads 2021: Full men's and women's player lists

The Women's Hundred has suffered a string of additional high-profile overseas withdrawals.

Australia's Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney lead the exodus which is blamed on the challenges created by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Ashleigh Gardner, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux, Elyse Vilani and Georgia Wareham have also withdrawn with less than three weeks to go until the opening game.

Rachael Haynes, who has been replaced by South Africa's Shabnim Ismail at Oval Invincibles, triggered the mass abandonment when she chose to pull out in May.

"I’m absolutely buzzing to take part in The Hundred," said Ismail. "To play in London will be really special, and I know I speak for all my South African teammates when I say we are really looking forward to getting over to the UK and making history in the first year of The Hundred.

While the likes of Ellyse Perry, Shafali Verma and Deandra Dottin remain, alongside England's contracted players, the losses no doubt represent a seismic drain of talent from the 100-ball competition.

Welsh Fire are perhaps the hardest hit, losing Lanning, Mooney and Wareham, with Piepa Cleary, Sune Luus and Georgia Redmayne called up.

Trent Rockets have replaced Molineux and Villani with Sammy-Jo Johnson and Rachael Priest. Annabel Sutherland is also missing, with Heather Graham added as a result.

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^{Laura Wolvaardt leads the batch of new faces}

Northern Superchargers have swapped Healy and Carey with Laura Kimmince and South African Laura Wolvaardt.

Amelia Kerr has left Southern Brave to be replaced by Amanda-Jade Wellington and Erin Burns comes in for Gardner at Birmingham Phoenix.

London Spirit and Manchester Originals are unaffected by the latest withdrawals.

Meanwhile, the final 12 domestic slots in the eight squads have been filled. Spirit have picked up Grace Scrivens, Brave have added Charlotte Taylor and Danielle Gregory comes in at Invincibles.

The women's competition gets underway on July 21 when Invincibles host Originals.

Women's squad changes

Birmingham Phoenix

In: Erin Burns

Out: Ashleigh Gardner

London Spirit

In: Grace Scrivens

Manchester Originals

In: Laura Jackson

Northern Superchargers

In: Laura Kimmince, Laura Wolvaardt, Sterre Kalis, Kalea Moore

Out: Nicola Carey, Alyssa Healy