Reports broke earlier in the week, claiming that the Pakistan players will be shadow-banned in The Hundred auction, after several Indian conglomerates took over the ownership of various teams in the league in the winter. It created quite a buzz on the internet, with former England cricketers calling it out as an unfair practice and wanting more inclusivity.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan even requested the England Cricket Board to look into the matter and ask the new owners not to divide the sport into various halves. “The ECB need to act fast on this .. they own the league and this should not be allowed to happen .. the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen,” Vaughan tweeted.
In the meantime, England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook also addressed the situation. Ahead of the Super Eights clash against Sri Lanka, when the youngster was asked to share his opinion, the 26-year-old noted that he surely wants the Pakistan players to participate in The Hundred, and not having them will be a ‘shame’. Adding to that, Brook also stated that the Pakistan players bring in a large crowd and they can make the tournament more competitive.
“Our main focus now is what's coming up in the T20 World Cup. It's not really any of our business, to be honest, but what I would say is Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years. I think there's about 50, 60 players in the auction, and it would be a shame to not see some of them in there. There's some amazing cricketers and, yeah, and they bring some great crowds as well. So it would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make the tournament and competition even better,” Brook said in the press conference.
England’s road to Super Eights
With a win over Nepal, Scotland and Italy, England have qualified for the Super Eights. Next up, they are scheduled to play Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand as the top two teams in the group will qualify for the semi-final.
Ahead of that, England have plenty of problems to address. They have managed to beat all the associate nations and the only time they faced a full-member nation, West Indies handed them a 30-run defeat. Openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt haven’t been at their best, while the spinners will be tested now against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
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