ESPNcricinfo Staff
Deepti Sharma will return to the Hundred this year after signing for London Spirit as a replacement for the injured Grace Harris. Deepti played for the Spirit in the competition’s inaugural season in 2021 and was an unused member of the Birmingham Phoenix squad the following summer.
The Hundred kick off on July 23 with Spirit playing their first game away to Southern Brave the following day, but Deepti will miss the start of the competition due to the Asia Cup in Dambulla. She will be replaced by Erin Burns for the first two games, who is already in the country playing for the Northern Diamonds.
Deepti is one of three Indian players set to make the Hundred this season, along with Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) and Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave). Like Deepti, both players are part of India’s Asia Cup squad, so they will miss the first week of the competition.
The ECB confirmed the latest installment of replacement players on Thursday afternoon, with Sophie Molineux (Manchester Originals) joining Harris in the Hundred exit. Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday that Molineux suffered a fractured rib and Harris a calf strain.
Molineux has been replaced by Kim Garth, while Bethan Ellis will join her in the Originals after Mahika Gaur withdrew due to side pressure. Tash Farrant has been ruled out with a hamstring injury but is yet to be replaced at the Oval Invincibles, while Beth Langston is in place for Claire Nicholas at the Welsh Fire.
As ESPNcricinfo revealed on Wednesday night, Britain’s Test batters will be freed to play in the men’s Hundred straight after the third Test against the West Indies at Edgbaston, while their bowlers and all-rounders – including Ben Stokes – are likely to play only in the second half of the match. group stages due to workload management.
Other replacements include Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber, who replaces the injured Will Smeed at the Phoenix, while Mohammad Amir has signed for the Invincibles – who are the defending champions – to start the competition as short-term cover, while Spencer Johnson completes the commitments of Major League Cricket.
Hundreds of replacement offers:
Birmingham Phoenix: Louis Kimber and Tim Southee replace Will Smeed and Naseem Shah.
London Spirit: James Neesham and Matthew Taylor replace Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope while they are in England. Deepti Sharma replaces Grace Harris, with Erin Burns deputizing for Deepti until the end of the Asia Cup.
Manchester Originals: Kim Garth and Bethan Ellis replace Sophie Molineux and Mahika Gaur.
Northern Turbochargers: Mitchell Sandner replaces Daniel Shams.
Oval Invincibles: Harrison Ward and Mohammad Amir replace Gus Atkinson (while in England) and Spencer Johnson (while in MLC). Tash Farrant has withdrawn, replacing TBC
Trent Rockets: Riley Meredith replaces Joe Root while in England.
Beth Langston: Beth Langston replaces Claire Nicholas.