The Hundred: London Spirit sign Heather Knight as Trent Rockets pick up Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt

NICK FRIEND AT THE HUNDRED TEAM REVEAL: The process for the selection of players in the women’s contest is quite different; there is no draft, but rather a long open window of opportunity to sign individual contracts between players and teams

England women’s captain Heather Knight will play for London Spirit in The Hundred, it was revealed on Thursday morning.

The batter was one of 16 female players whose team was confirmed ahead of next year’s new competition.

The process for the selection of players in the women’s contest is quite different to the men's; there is no draft, but rather a long open window of opportunity to sign individual contracts between players and teams.

Through September in the first of two separate windows, franchises had to sign up two players each from the current list of centrally contracted England women’s players. They were revealed at the launch in Brick Lane.

Between now and the end of May, when the second stage of the window then closes, the women’s teams will then complete their 15-player squads. Those will be filled by the remaining centrally contracted players not signed up in the September window, as well as local and overseas players.

It is worth noting, therefore, that the absence of Tammy Beaumont from the initial band of signings is of little consequence, with an eight-month window currently in operation for the women’s outfits to complete 13 more deals each to fix up their squads.

Alongside Heather Knight at London Spirit will be Freya Davies, who was the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Kia Super League and who, with Knight, won the competition’s last ever final with Western Storm.

Fellow Western Storm seamer Anya Shrubsole is heading to the south coast to play for Southern Brave. Dani Wyatt, who was the leading run-scorer in this year’s KSL for Southern Vipers, will line up with Shrubsole at Hove.

Meanwhile, Fran Wilson and experienced off-spinner Laura Marsh will represent Oval Invincibles on the other side of London to Knight and Davies.

Katie George and former Surrey Stars allrounder will play for Welsh Fire, whose home games will be played at both Bristol and Taunton, with Glamorgan, Somerset and Gloucestershire making up the franchise’s management counties.

^{Heather Knight will play for London Spirit}

Solihull-born Amy Jones will play for her local team, representing Birmingham Phoenix with Kirstie Gordon, who made her England Test debut during the summer’s Women’s Ashes series.

Trent Rockets look well set, having coaxed the signatures of both Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt for the competition.

Brunt, a veteran of the England setup, remains one of the world’s foremost seamers, while there are few more destructive batters in the women’s game than Sciver, who played a key role in Surrey Stars’ KSL triumph in 2018.

The former Lancashire Thunder pair of Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross will remain ‘at home’, playing for Manchester Originals, while Lauren Winfield and Linsey Smith have been paired up at Northern Superchargers.

England women's players by franchise:

Northern Superchargers: Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith

Manchester Originals: Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross

Trent Rockets: Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver

Birmingham Phoenix: Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon

Welsh Fire: Bryony Smith, Katie George

London Spirit: Heather Knight, Freya Davies

Oval Invincibles: Fran Wilson, Laura Marsh

Southern Brave: Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt