Harry Brook given one job for Leeds SunRisers in revamped Hundred
Fresh from England’s twin series victories over India, captain Harry Brook is set to spearhead SunRisers Leeds’ revamped lineup in a new role when the much-transformed Hundred begins on Tuesday.
Less than 48 hours after sealing the ODI series win in London, the Yorkshire star will line up as a pure batter against MI London at The Oval, having already moved on from the leadership role for the 100-ball competition.
The Sunrisers franchise believes Brook’s (inset) repositioning as a pure batter will allow him to freshen up both physically and mentally for the rest of the season, with his focus now shifting to the shortest format.
Signed for £180,000 at the Hundred auction, England batter Zak Crawley will captain the Leeds-based franchise, coached by former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, in the sixth edition of the competition.
“We understand Harry’s commitments and how full-on he is. He’ll come in off the back of the Test series (against New Zealand) and white-ball series (against India) as well, so he’ll only be nable to join up with us one day before the start of the game,” said Vettori.
Following the Sun Group’s majority takeover, the Headingley-based side swapped their traditional purple and white strip for a bold orange and black. While Crawley will lead the men’s side featuring Mitchell Marsh and Abrar Ahmed, England all-rounder Dani Gibson was earlier announced as captain of the women’s SunRisers Leeds ahead of their curtain-raiser against MI London at The Oval.
Sunrisers landed Gibson for an eye-watering £190,000 at British sport’s first-ever player auction in March.
“She’s a matchwinner who strikes at a really good rate with the bat. Gibson can bowl in all three phases of the game, and she’s one of the best fielders. Great around the environment, Gibson was also our number one pick at the auction,” said Yorkshire’s Rich Pyrah, who is part of the women’s support staff led by head coach Adi Birrell.
Defending women’s champions Sunrisers Leeds will open The Hundred with the away fixture against MI London before returning to Headingley to take on Southern Brave on Saturday. SunRisers Leeds selected Yorkshire’s Matty Revis, Darcey Carter (Lancashire), Sophia Turner (Durham) and Charlie Allison (Essex) as their wildcard picks for the new season.