Trent Rockets and the Birmingham Phoenix announce their captains
With the first edition of The Hundred set to take place in the summer, the Trent Rockets have announced that Lewis Gregory will captain the men's team while Natalie Sciver will lead the women's side.
The franchise, through the men's head coach Stephen Fleming, announced the appointment of Gregory as captain and noted the value he brings to the table. He also added, "Lewis has all the attributes required to skipper our side this year and I'm confident he'll get the best out of our talented squad. He's got a good temperament on the field and works well with his players to achieve results. He's also one of the best white-ball all-rounders in the country, who will add a huge amount to the team."
Gregory made his debut for England in a T20I against New Zealand last year and became the second bowler for the national side to take a wicket of his first delivery in a T20I. The all-rounder has also captained the Somerset side.
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Meanwhile, women's head coach Salliann Briggs talked about Sciver and the potential she brings to the team. Briggs said, "I've known Nat for a long time since her early years in the sport, so I can't wait to work with her again now she's one of the world's best players. She has impressed as a captain in domestic competitions before and I have full confidence she'll get the best out of the squad in The Hundred. Her international experience in one of the world's best short-format teams will undoubtedly help our chances of success this year."
Sciver is a massive addition to the team as she is currently one of the top-ranked T20 batswomen in the world and is in fine form having scored three fifties in the recently concluded Women's T20 World Cup.
Like the Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix have also announced that Sophie Devine would lead the team. The New Zealander is an experienced campaigner and will be a massive presence in the dressing room.
After captaining the national team in the World T20, Devine will be hoping for a much better campaign with the Birmingham side. She did continue her good form as the all-rounder scored 75 against Sri Lanka in the group stages. After bagging the Player of the Series Award in the Women's Big Bash for amassing over 700 runs for the Adelaide Strikers, she will be hoping to replicate such performances at The Hundred this year.