England Test players available for first two Hundred matches before India series

A decision over the eliminator and the final will be taken at a later date

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

England men's Test squad for the India series will be made available to play the opening two matches in The Hundred.

A decision over the Eliminator and the final will be taken at a later date.

It means the eight teams, barring injuries, will be at full strength for the start of the competition which begins for the men on Thursday (July 22)

The 100-ball competition for the women starts on Wednesday (July 21) with Oval Invincibles against Manchester Originals.

There were fears England's leading red-ball players would be unavailable due to concerns regarding Covid-19.

A fortnight ago the entire ODI squad was forced into self-isolation and the ECB are desperate to avoid a repeat of the situation which has already affected the international and domestic scene.

Swathes of players being asked to self-isolate after being confirmed as a close contact of an infected person would have a dramatic knock-on effect amid a schedule that includes England Tests, The Hundred and the 50-over One-Day Cup.

Special dispensation is not available regardless of whether you are fully inoculated with both jabs of a vaccine or not. The advice is not scheduled to expire until August 16.

The ECB have held talks over the last few weeks but have come to a decision that Test players can feature and then assemble for the India series.

Protocols and rules around The Hundred teams will be tight to prevent infections and close contacts.

Jofra Archer and Ollie Pope are not expected until the latter stages at the earliest as they continue to recover from elbow and leg muscle injuries.

Archer is still a month away from full fitness while Pope is targetting a return in time for the first Test against India at Trent Bridge which starts on August 4 and won't be available prior.

While teams in The Hundred are not permitted to replace their red-ball contracted players, who the ECB hoped could play three matches this year, stand-ins can be enlisted for those who sit outside of that.

That means the likes of Moeen Ali, Dan Lawrence, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow can be replaced if selected for either of the first two India Tests.