Nat Sciver and Lewis Gregory named captains of Trent Rockets for The Hundred
England all-rounders Nat Sciver and Lewis Gregory have been named captains of Trent Rockets for the inaugural edition of The Hundred while New Zealand’s Sophie Devine will take charge of Birmingham Phoenix.
Sciver was England’s top run-scorer as they reached the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals, amassing 202 at an average of 67.33 and strike-rate of 113.48, including three half-centuries.
The top-order batter and medium-pace bowler oversaw Surrey’s Kia Super League triumph two years ago and will lead a side including fiancee Katherine Brunt, Australian duo Elyse Villani and Sophie Molineux and England spinners Mady Villiers and Sarah Glenn.
Sciver said: “It’s a huge honour to be asked to captain Trent Rockets for this summer’s competition. It promises to be a great spectacle of sport and I’m excited by the squad we’re putting together.
“It’ll be fun to play alongside Katherine for a few weeks on the field and her international experience will be great for some of the younger players in our team.
“We’ve also got two of England’s most exciting young spinners in the squad in Mady and Sarah, while Sophie and Elyse offer more high-quality short format experience.”
On the men’s side, Somerset’s seam bowling all-rounder Gregory has been preferred to Nottinghamshire club captain Steven Mullaney and former Middlesex skipper Dawid Malan.
Gregory, who captains Somerset in the Vitality Blast, made his England debut earlier this winter with five T20 appearances against New Zealand last November.
He said: “I can’t wait to lead this team out at Trent Bridge this summer. We’ve got so many iconic local players that the support from the crowd should be incredible.
“There’s great balance in our squad, with batsmen who can hit the ball out the ground, seamers who can knock over stumps and spinners who can tie opposition up in knots.
“With Stephen Fleming at the helm and the firepower in the dressing room, I think we’ve got a great chance of challenging for the title in the first year.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Devine will lead Birmingham Phoenix, who last month announced England’s Moeen Ali as their men’s skipper.
Devine, ranked the number one T20 all-rounder in the world, led the White Ferns at the Women’s T20 World Cup and will preside over a Phoenix side including England trio Amy Jones, Georgia Elwiss and Kirstie Gordon.
“It’s hugely exciting for me to be able to lead Birmingham Phoenix,” Devine said.
“Birmingham is a place that’s close to my heart having had a couple of years with Warwickshire and it’s great to know so many members of the squad.
“The Hundred is a hot topic of conversation amongst many of us. We’re already starting to talk about tactics and how we go about things.
“I know that it’s only 20 fewer balls than a T20, but the decision making between whether a bowler sends down five balls or takes on the option to bowl 10 straight, will be really interesting.”
