ENGLAND fast bowler Olly Stone is among the players picked up by the Northern Superchargers at The Hundred Draft.

Ahead of the competition’s inaugural competition, all eight sides made a number of additions to their men’s sides.

With five spaces to fill in the Superchargers men’s squad before the Draft, England’s Stone was the first player their team picked.

The 27-year-old quick has played two Tests, including the recent second Test in Chennai, and four one-day internationals for England since debuting for his country in 2018.

Joining him is York-born bowling all-rounder Matthew Fisher and his Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook, as well as Matthew Potts from Durham.

Head coach Darren Lehmann also snapped up Leicestershire’s Callum Parkinson. The new signings join existing teammates, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid and Australian Aaron Finch, who were retained from last year’s squad.

Stone said: “This Superchargers line up is going to be tough to beat. Any team with Aaron Finch and Ben Stokes in its batting line up is going to put on a show, and I’m looking forward to having Adil Rashid on my side as well.

“I’m excited about what the competition can do to show cricket off to a new generation as well as existing fans, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Lehmann added: “Going into the Draft, we had our overseas and big-name players already sorted so this was about bringing domestic and local quality into the squad.

“We’ve been able to do that with Olly Stone, Matty Potts and the Yorkshire duo of Brook and Fisher joining. We can’t wait to get going this summer.”

Meanwhile women’s head coach Danielle Hazell has welcomed Australian duo, keeper Alyssa Healy and bowler Nicola Carey, to her squad, along with England bowler Alice Davidson-Richards, as their line-up continues to take shape.

They will join existing teammates, including England batter Lauren Winfield-Hill, from York, who have been retained from last year’s squad.

Players are being signed on an individual basis by the eight teams in the women’s competition, with no equivalent Draft event.

Teams will continue to fill their squads over the coming months. 

Healy said: “Playing alongside the likes of Nicola Carey and Lauren Winfield-Hill at Northern Superchargers is really exciting. Headingley is a brilliant place to play cricket and we want to put on a show this summer.”