The Hundred: Shafali Verma Joins Birmingham Phoenix For The Inaugural Season

Indian women cricket team’s young sensation Shafali Verma is all set to play in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. Shafali Verma will become the fifth Indian player after Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma to received NOC from the BCCI to participate in the tournament. She will turn out for the Birmingham Pheonix.

Shafali Verma delivered incredible performances at the top during the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The right-handed batter was the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 163 runs in five matches at 32.60, striking at 158.25. Verma also performed decently in the home T20 series against South Africa, compiling scores of 23, 47, and 60 in three matches.

A source claimed as per ANI news that it is an outstanding step for the Indian women’s team as Shafali Verma will join four other Indian players in the first season of The Hundred. The 17-year old will re-unite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and hope to grow from strength to strength to take her career to a further next level.

“It is a delightful news not just for Shefali but for Indian women’s cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will re-unite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has already been a positive road for the youngster,”

Shafali Verma reveals spending time with the Haryana men’s team was beneficial:

Shafali Verma disclosed the reason behind her rapid movement, being that she spent with the Haryana men’s team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. She thanked the association for letting her train with the team and revealed that facing bowlers, who clocked close to 140 kph mark, helped her decide whether to play off the front foot or go back in the T20 series against South Africa.

“The reason behind the fast foot movement is the time I spent with Haryana men’s team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. I cannot thank the Haryana Cricket Association enough for allowing me to train with the team. What it did was that it helped my decision-making power at the crease as I was facing fast bowlers who were touching close to 140 kph mark. So, I had that extra second to decide if I wanted to go back or play off the front foot when I played the T20 series,” Verma said as quoted by ANI.

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