Shafali Verma to Play For Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred

Shafali Verma after scoring a half-century against South Africa. 

(Photo: BCCI)

Teenage batting star Shafali Verma becomes the fifth Indian women’s cricketer to sign up for The Hundred. Shafali will turn out for Birmingham Phoenix at the ECB tournament and has been handed a NOC by the BCCI.

“It is a delightful news not just for Shafali 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 very positive road forward for the youngster,” news agency ANI quoted a source as saying.

Other than Shafali, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma are also part of The Hundred.

The 17-year-old has so far played 22 T20Is and scored 617 runs at a strike-rate of 148.31 and struck three fifties as well. She recently spent time training with Haryana’s men team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Previously, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma were part of the now defunct Super League, the ECB organised tournament that made way for The Hundred.

Postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hundred will begin with a game between the women’s teams of the Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals in London before their respective men's sides meet the next day.

Some of the big overseas names in the tournament include Sophie Devine (Birmingham Phoenix), Deandra Dottin (London Spirit), Marizanne Kapp (Oval Invincibles), and Meg Lanning (Welsh Fire).