West Indies stars dominate The Hundred draft as Liam Dawson and Laurie Evans land big paydays

West Indies allrounders Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell lead the list of top-price overseas players picked up in the draft for The Hundred, The Cricketer understands

West Indies allrounders Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell lead the list of top-price overseas players picked up in the draft for The Hundred, The Cricketer understands.

David Warner, who was considered a star attraction among the draft entrees, is not believed to have been signed.

Pollard, who was set to play for Welsh Fire in 2021 before pulling out, has been picked up by London Spirit, who had the first pick in the draft – which was conducted behind closed doors – after finishing rock bottom last summer in the competition's inaugural edition.

^{Liam Dawson is to play for London Spirit in 2022}

Russell was also due to be involved in the first season but ultimately didn't feature for Southern Brave; he will represent Manchester Originals, who have also signed up Laurie Evans at top price and Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in the £100,000 category.

Oval Invincibles have re-signed Sunil Narine, who scored 62 runs and took seven wickets in 2021 after initially not featuring on their retained list.

Bravo, meanwhile, is picked up for the first time – by Northern Superchargers – having gone undrafted in 2019 and again ahead of last season. He has already agreed a deal with Worcestershire to turn out in the T20 Blast, which precedes The Hundred. The 38-year-old is second on the all-time appearance list in T20 cricket, with Pollard the only man ahead of him.

Birmingham Phoenix used their first pick to bring in Matthew Wade, Australia's wicketkeeper in their T20 World Cup victory.

^{Laurie Evans has been signed by Manchester Originals}

Liam Dawson, Joe Clarke and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were also drafted for £125,000, going to London Spirit, Welsh Fire and Trent Rockets respectively.

It was predicted that some teams would prioritise local players on big money, given the complexity of this summer's international calendar. West Indies have a white-ball series scheduled in August against New Zealand, with the Caribbean Premier League starting soon afterwards, while Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland and South Africa are all due to be in action at some stage in August. Australia could face Zimbabwe in an ODI series in September as well, which could cause complications.

The Cricketer also understands that teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who impressed for England at the recent Under-19 World Cup, has been picked up by Southern Brave.