England cricket team captain Harry Brook has thrown his weight behind Pakistan cricketers for their inclusion in The Hundred. This comes after reports suggested that franchises in the tournament linked to the IPL won’t bid for any players from PAK, continuing with the trend that has been witnessed in SA20 and ILT20. Apart from Brook, former England star Michael Vaughan has also said that the ECB should not allow such a thing to happen.
Brook, Vaughan bat for Pakistan stars in The Hundred
As per the BBC, Brook claimed that Pakistan had some of the best and awesome players in the world and that it would be a shame to not see some of them in The Hundred. The former Northern Superchargers captain (now known as Sunrisers Leeds) also revealed that he will not be captaining the side this year.
“Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years and have some awesome players, some of the best players in the world. It would be a shame not to see some of them in The Hundred,” Brook said.
63 Pakistan cricketers, including males and females, have registered for The Hundred 2026 auction. Most of the members who are a part of the T20 World Cup 2026 team have thrown their hats into the ring in a bid to find a spot in any of the franchises. A BBC report suggested that four Indian Premier League (IPL)-linked franchises, MI London (Reliance Industries), Manchester Super Giants (RPSG Group), Southern Brave (GMR Group), and Sunrisers Leeds (Sun TV), won’t bid for any Pakistani cricketers.
In a column in The Telegraph, Vaughan said demanded a proper explanation from a senior ECB figure if no Pakistan players were signed in the The Hundred 2026 auction which will be held on March 11-12. He said that while The Hundred does have a huge appeal, the credibility would be dented if Pakistan cricketers are turned away as it would upset the huge Pakistan population that resides in England and are fans of the game.
“The proof will come on March 11-12 when the auction is held for the men’s and women’s competition and whether any Pakistan players end up at Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds. 62 Pakistani players have signed up for the auction, and a couple of token bids for Pakistan players will not tell us very much if they are not signed. The next few weeks are going to be very important for our game. If no Pakistan players are signed by the Indian-owned franchises then we have our answer. I would then like to hear a proper explanation from a senior ECB figure,” Vaughan said.
