David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Sophie Devine pull out of The Hundred

Australia men’s David Warner and Marcus Stoinis and New Zealand women’s Sophie Devine have pulled out of the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The Aussie duo has been named in the preliminary squad for the tour of the West Indies and Bangladesh.

The tours overlap with the Hundred’s window from July 21 to August 21, and they are expected to withdraw to have family time. Southern Brave had taken Warner and Stoinis onboard at deals worth £100,000 and £80,000 respectively.

Australia’s national selector Trevor Hohns added six more players to the preliminary squad for the upcoming international tours. Back in March 2020, Warner had pulled out of The Hundred, citing “family and personal reasons”, but was re-signed in February’s draft as a first-round pick.

“During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families,” Hohns was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Seven men’s Australian players- Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch, and Nathan Coulter-Nile- are contracted to take part in The Hundred.

“CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff, and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has also expressed disappointment over the players’ withdrawals. However, the board also understands the hassles due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is obviously disappointing to lose players with the ability of David and Marcus, but the realities of Covid mean there are practicalities that are difficult for some overseas players to overcome,” the ECB said in a statement.

Shafali Verma replaces Sophie Devine

As far as Devine is concerned, going by an ECB release, the all-rounder pulled out “in order to be in the best position to prepare for international cricket, particularly with the ICC Women’s World Cup due to be held in her native New Zealand in February.”

India’s Shafali Verma replaced her in the Birmingham Phoenix squad. Among other Aussie players, Jess Jonassen and Rachael Haynes have already withdrawn from the tournament.