Tag: Northern Superchargers

England Test captain Ben Stokes has officially joined Northern Superchargers as a mentor for the upcoming season of The Hundred, taking on a non-playing role due to ongoing injury and fitness management.

Stokes, 34, has featured in five matches for the Superchargers across the 2021 and 2024 editions of the 100-ball tournament.

However, he was already set to miss this year’s campaign after opting to manage his workload ahead of the Ashes series in Australia later this year.

The all-rounder is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury sustained during the fourth Test against India in July.

The injury also ruled him out of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, where Ollie Pope led the side in his absence.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

While he won’t be seen on the field, Ben Stokes will still have a presence in the dressing room, joining head coach Andrew Flintoff’s support staff to guide the Northern Superchargers from the sidelines.

Before his injury setback, Stokes had delivered a strong performance in the series against India.

He bowled 140 overs across four Tests, claiming 17 wickets at an average of 25.24. With the bat, he amassed 304 runs in seven innings at an impressive average of 43.43.

It is worth mentioning that in Stokes’ absence, India edged out England by six runs in a thrilling final Test at The Oval, drawing the five-match series 2-2 last week.

READ: Shahid Afridi comments on Babar Azam’s T20I exclusion

LONDON: Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim have officially signed with the Northern Superchargers for the 2025 edition of The Hundred, becoming the first Pakistani players to secure deals for this year’s competition.

The experienced duo have been roped in as replacements for the Superchargers.

Amir comes in for Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis, who has been ruled out of the entire season due to international commitments, while Imad will fill in for New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, who is set to miss the first two matches.

Their signings come after months of uncertainty surrounding the participation of Pakistani players in The Hundred, especially under the league’s new ownership structure.

The Northern Superchargers, it is worth noting, will come under the operational control of India’s Sun Group starting October 1.

No Pakistani cricketer was picked during the players’ draft in March, sparking speculation that the growing influence of Indian stakeholders, who now hold ownership in six of the eight teams, might have played a role in their exclusion.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) categorically denied any political or ownership-driven bias, maintaining that Pakistani players remained eligible for selection.

Cricket analysts attributed their absence more to scheduling conflicts than politics.

Pakistan’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, followed by a tri-series in the UAE, limited player availability during the draft window.

Additionally, the team’s recent T20I struggles and last year’s late pull-outs by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah reportedly affected their chances.

With Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim now in the mix, the Superchargers’ squad gets a significant boost.

READ: Rohail Nazir’s century, bowlers put Pakistan Shaheens in command on day two