Steven Smith, David Warner, Sandpaper for sale
Steve Smith with David Warner. (Credits - Getty)

As England gear up to show the world their latest innovation The Hundred, a number of big names have showed interest in the tournament. The format of the games will see each team playing a maximum of 100 balls with a change of ends after every 10 deliveries. Bowlers will deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls but are restricted to a maximum of 20 per match.

There will be 25-ball powerplay in each innings during which only two fielders will be allowed outside the initial 30-yard circle. And it looks like the tournament will be an exciting one as more than two dozen of big names from around the world have showed interest in the competition. England captain Eoin Morgan, Australia stars Steve Smith and David Warner as well as veteran Chris Gayle are among the names confirmed in the draft for The Hundred.

According to Sky Sports, a total of 20 of the world’s best cricketers have so far been confirmed to take part in the brand-new domestic tournament. The competition’s inaugural edition will take place next summer between July 17 and August 16. The tournament will have a total of eight franchise teams from different cities. The teams will be from  London (two), Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff and Southampton.

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ECB Announces Big Names In Draft List For The Hundred
Eoin Morgana and Kane Williamson are parts of the draft (Credits: Twitter)

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England’s centrally-contracted Test players will be the first to be allocated when the eight franchises are formally unveiled on Thursday.  The remainder of the squads will be formed on October 20.

Apart from Morgan, Gayle, Smith and Warner, the likes of Aaron Finch and Mitchell Starc, Babar Azam and Rashid Khan will also be in the drafts. Some veteran players like Shahid Afridi and Lasith Malinga are also set to play the competition. From England, the likes of Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett ,Jason Roy and Moeen Ali are also up for grabs.

South Africans Kagiso Rabada, Faf Du Plessis and Quinton De Kock are also available, as is New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

The first names announced are:

Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali, Babar Azam, Tom Curran, Quinton De Kock, Faf du Plessis, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Rashid Khan, Lasith Malinga, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, Kieron Pollard, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Roy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Kane Williamson, David Warner.