Retained Eoin Morgan to captain London Spirit in The Hundred

Dan Lawrence has also been retained by the Lord's-based side ahead of the inaugural edition in 2021

• The Hundred reveals details of player-retention process

England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan will lead London Spirit during the inaugural edition of The Hundred in 2021.

The Irishman, who last month was appointed Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, has been retained for next year's competition.

Essex's Dan Lawrence, who was selected as a local icon ahead of last year's player draft, returns.

Teams have until the end of January to confirm which players from their existing roster have been retained. All unattached players will then enter the player draft.

Zak Crawley has already been confirmed for the 2021 campaign, replacing Rory Burns - who has joined Oval Invincibles - as the centrally contracted player.

Morgan, who led England to 50-over World Cup glory last summer, said: "I am delighted to be retained as captain of London Spirit. We have the makings of a great squad and I’m looking forward to playing at the home of cricket in this exciting new format. 

"I believe we will have a great blend of skills both in the squad and our coaching staff and I can’t wait to get going."

Lawrence added: "It is a very exciting new format and I think the squad we are putting together will perform really well. The added bonus will be the opportunity to play at Lord’s which is every player’s dream."