Pakistan stars Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim officially join Kavya Maran's team
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Pakistani former cricketers Mohammed Amir and Imad Wasim join the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, ruling out rumours of Pakistani players being locked out of The Hundred under new Indian owners.
Amid the India-Pakistan feuds, which have had an impact on the game of cricket, the presence of Pakistani cricketers in The Hundred was thrown into doubt, as four among the eight owners are of Indian origin, while two more are Indian-American.
However, the ECB had earlier insisted that the identity of the new investors would not affect the involvement of PAK players in the Hundred. The Pakistani players are prohibited from featuring in the Indian Premier League.
"We're aware of that in other regions," Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, said in February, "but that won't be happening here."
Pakistan star Mohammad Amir picked for Kavya Maran's team in the Hundred
Initially, as the new investors took over The Hundred teams, eyebrows were raised when no Pakistani men's players were signed at the March draft of The Hundred, in contrast to previous seasons.
However, such a decision or snub for Pakistani players could be explained by several other reasons, including the unavailability of their white-ball squads due to an overload of international matches, the recent struggle in the T20 format, and the late pullouts of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Then on Monday, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim became the first two Pakistani players to sign Hundred deals for the 2025 season, as they came in as replacements for Ben Dwarshuis (full season) and Mitchell Santner (2 matches) due to international duty.
The two players joined the Northern Superchargers, now owned by Indian media tycoons the Sun Group, as they are assumed to take operational control on the 1st of October. These are the same owners who own Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Ben Stokes pulls out of The Hundred
Amir and Imad, who have joined Northern Superchargers, will link up with English Test captain Ben Stokes, who is supposed to be playing an unofficial mentor role in the side after he pulled out of the Hundred earlier this year.
He will soon start his rehabilitation from the shoulder injury he sustained during the long spells he bowled against India in the recently concluded Test series, as a result of which he had to sit out for the 5th Test.
"You will see me knocking about the Hundred, not in a playing way," Stokes said. "I had to make a decision in January if I would participate in the comp, but that was after my hamstring surgery."
"I said I'd still like to be a part of it, so I will be milling about. I won't have a notebook and pen. I said I would come and give my time to the team. I will be cracking on with my rehab," Stokes mentioned.
The Hundred Replacements announced
Trent Rockets: Akeal Hosein to replace George Linde (August 10-14).
London Spirit: John Simpson and Dan Douthwaite to replace Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope for August 5.
Manchester Originals: Mark Chapman to replace Rachin Ravindra (August 6-13), and Farhan Ahmed to replace Marchant de Lange.
Northern Superchargers: Mohammad Amir to replace Ben Dwarshuis; Imad Wasim to replace Mitchell Santner (August 7-10);
Tagged:
Pakistan National Cricket Team Northern Superchargers The Hundred Mohammad Amir Imad Wasim Kavya Maran
