Is The Hundred's nationality debate selective?

Even as cricket experts and players in England are issuing premature condemnation over the anticipated exclusion of Pakistani players from The Hundred this year - with some calling it a "shame" - it has emerged that players from a couple of other countries have not featured in the league since its inception.

Across the five seasons of The Hundred, no Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi men's player has featured in the 100-ball competition organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The only Sri Lankan cricketer to have participated in the tournament is women's captain Chamari Athapaththu, who represented Oval Invincibles in the 2024 season.

"It would be a shame not to see some of them (Pakistani players) in The Hundred," England white ball skipper Harry Brook has been quoted as saying even as the league issued a statement with all eight franchises as signatories.

The statement says, "The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight of The Hundred team franchises reaffirm their commitment to ensuring The Hundred continues to be a competition that is inclusive, welcoming and open to all."

Four of the eight franchises in The Hundred are owned by the franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan, it is being said that these owners are unlikely to bid for Pakistani players, as they have done in other leagues, at the March 11-12 auction in London.

The Indian owners continue to maintain that they will pick the best possible sides but it is being pointed out that the absence of Sri Lankan and Bangladesh players was never taken up at any level. Names of 12 Sri Lankan men, including T20I skipper Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera, feature in the 710-player men's auction register. There are 23 Bangladesh players, including Mustafizur Rahman.

"As the governing body responsible for running the tournament, the ECB is committed to ensuring there is no place for discrimination, and has regulations in place to take robust action to tackle any such conduct. Players must not be excluded on the grounds of their nationality. All eight teams commit to selection being based solely on cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team," the joint statement said.

The statement follows a communication to the franchises which states: "Player selection must always be based on cricketing rationale, availability and team performance strategy/needs. No one should be denied a place in The Hundred because of their nationality, and it is within the powers of the Cricket Regulator to investigate should it receive any evidence of a team adopting a policy of excluding players based on nationality. Our competition will thrive when the best available talent - domestic and international - is given the opportunity to perform, inspire, and elevate the standard of the tournament."

Cricbuzz was first to report that 63 Pakistani men have enrolled for the auction, apart from four women players. Over the five seasons, only two Pakistani players featured across each of the 2021, 2022 and 2025 seasons and no Pakistani women's player has appeared in any season. In 2023 and 2024, six and four Pakistani players were seen respectively. Last year - before the involvement of owners from the IPL - no Pakistani player was picked in the draft. Two players came in later as replacements.

There was no immediate comment from ECB but those in the know maintain that the English board cannot be responsible for the angles the media put on a story. "The statement put out by all the franchises isn't specific to any nationality. It would be for teams to explain why they've selected players they have in the past, but player availability is obviously a factor - the Lanka Premier League is at the same time as The Hundred for example," said a source.

For the record, three of the five seasons of The Hundred did not clash with LPL, including last season when there was no LPL. This year, the leagues may clash as both plan to hold it in the July-August window.

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