The irrepressible David Warner is going back to Lord’s as the star signing for the London Spirit team in The Hundred at the age of 38 — just two years since his infamous clash with MCC members at the ‘home of cricket’.
Warner will make a lucrative debut in England’s premier white-ball competition after being snapped up by the Lord’s-based Spirit for Stg120,000 ($A247,000) in Wednesday’s draft.
After his retirement from the international arena, the evergreen left-hander’s recruitment demonstrated his enduring star power as a host of the big names in the current Australia white-ball team all got overlooked.
There were no takers for superstar allrounder Glenn Maxwell, the country’s top white-ball spinner Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott nor Nathan Ellis, all of whom were at the recent Champions Trophy and were in the same Stg120,000 base-price bracket as Warner.
Warner’s signing was the big news of the draft for August’s tournament, even if it was perhaps somewhat of a surprise after he couldn’t find a team interested in 2024.
Yet he’s clearly considered a valuable asset by Spirit’s incoming coach Justin Langer, another former left-hand opener who was close to Warner when in charge of the national team set-up.
Warner will be returning to the dramatic scene of the 2023 Test match at Lord’s when he was involved in the infamous lunchtime bust-up with Marylebone Cricket Club members in the Long Room following the controversy surrounding Alex Carey’s stumping of Jonny Bairstow.
The MCC ended up expelling one member and suspending two others after their altercation with Usman Khawaja and Warner amid unprecedented scenes after the anger sparked over the Carey-Bairstow incident.
The members were all found to have used “abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language”, with one member given a four-and-a-half-year suspension and the other serving 30 months.
In perhaps a sign of the times in the women’s draft, there was also no place for Alyssa Healy, while the first player to be snapped up – by Edgbaston-based Birmingham Phoenix – was her 21-year-old compatriot Georgia Voll, who’s been brilliant filling in as opener while the national captain has been out injured.
Voll’s also just come off a spectacular spell at the Women’s Premier League in India where, in just a week for UP Warriorz after a late call-up as an injury replacement, she ended up recording the equal highest score in WPL annals, 99 not out, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow.
It felt like a surprise 34-year-old Healy was overlooked at her base price of Stg50,000 ($A103,000) but Voll was elevated to the top women’s bracket of Stg65,000 ($A134,000) to end her landmark week.
The other Aussie men snapped up in the draft were Ashton Turner, who’ll team up with Warner at the Spirit, allrounder Chris Green and paceman Riley Meredith, who’ll be at the Cardiff-based Welsh Fire, and left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff, who’ll boost Oval Invincibles’ title defence.
Other Australian stars who had already been signed up for the competition include Steve Smith at Welsh Fire and Ellyse Perry, who’ll be alongside Voll in Birmingham.
COMPLETE LIST OF AUSTRALIANS TO PLAY IN THE HUNDRED 2025 IN AUGUST
Birmingham Phoenix
Women: Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll
London Spirit
Women: Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne
Men: David Warner, Ashton Turner, Dan Worrall
Manchester Originals
Women: Beth Mooney (AUS)
Northern Superchargers
Women: Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham
Men: Ben Dwarshuis
Oval Invincibles
Women: Meg Lanning, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Men: Jason Behrendorff
Trent Rockets
Women: Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham
Men: Marcus Stoinis
Welsh Fire
Women: Jess Jonassen
Men: Steve Smith, Chris Green, Riley Meredith
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au