Rauf leads Pakistan players on final Hundred list

Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been put forward as a ‘marquee’ player in the auction for The Hundred, alongside 13 other men from Pakistan.

The list of players that will be sold at next week’s auction has been trimmed from the 712 men and 253 women that registered last month, with 247 men and 178 remaining respectively.

Last week, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the eight Hundred teams issued a statement asserting no-one will “be excluded on the grounds of their nationality” after BBC Sport reported the four franchises with owners linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL) would not consider players from Pakistan.

Rauf, 32, is listed among the first 10 men that will be auctioned and has the highest possible reserve price of £100,000.

The 14 representatives from Pakistan in the men’s auction is the third-most from an overseas country, behind 19 from South Africa and 18 from Australia.

In the women’s auction there are two Pakistan players – Sadia Iqbal and Fatima Sana – cut from four initial nominations.

The auction for the women’s Hundred takes place on Wednesday, 11 March, with the men’s auction the next day.

Following the publication of the initial list of players, franchises were asked to nominate which players they would potentially be interested in.

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali is one notable player to have not received any nominations, so has missed out on the auction list. Ben Stokes did not register as he focuses on his commitments as England Test captain.

The four Hundred teams with ownership links to the IPL are MI London, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave. Political tensions between India and Pakistan have resulted in Pakistan players not being permitted in the IPL since 2009.

Following the BBC report on a potential ‘shadow ban’ on players from Pakistan, the ECB first wrote to the eight Hundred franchises to remind them of their responsibilities on matters of discrimination.

A joint statement from the governing body and the teams followed, which said: “All eight teams commit to selection being based solely on cricketing performance, availability, and the needs of each team.

“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.