London, August 5(HS): Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim have signed contracts with Northern Superchargers for the 2025 season of 'The Hundred'. This decision follows concerns regarding the participation of Pakistani players amid rising Indian investment in the league.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reassured that the entry of Indian or Indian-American investors would not impact Pakistani players’ involvement. ECB CEO Richard Gould emphasized this in February, indicating no issues would emerge as seen in other areas. Speculations arose after no Pakistani male players were chosen in the March draft, attributed mainly to unavailability due to commitments in the West Indies and UAE.
Amir and Imad are now contracted as replacement players for the Superchargers, with Amir set to replace Australia's Ben Dwarshuis for the full tournament and Imad joining the team temporarily from August 7 to 10 in lieu of Mitchell Santner.
Notably, the Superchargers will be managed by the Indian media group 'Sun Group' starting October 1, with Ben Stokes in a mentoring role.
Replacement players in The Hundred 2025:
London Spirit:
John Simpson and Dan Douthwaite replaced Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope (for the match on August 5)
Manchester Originals:
Mark Chapman replaced Rachin Ravindra (August 6-13) and Farhan Ahmed replaced Merchant de Lange.
Amurutha Surenkumar replaced Ella McCoughan.
Northern Superchargers:
Imad Wasim replaced Mitchell Santner (August 7-10) and Mohammad Amir replaced Ben Dwarshuis.
Trent Rockets:
Akeel Hossain replaced George Linde (August 10-14).
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
