The Hundred 2023 news: Bairstow to take time off before making Hundred return

Jonny Bairstow will take a short break from the game with his young family before returning to play for Welsh Fire in the Hundred “at some point”. Bairstow revealed in June that he and his girlfriend had “welcomed Edward Bairstow into the world”.

Bairstow missed the 2022 edition of the Hundred entirely to manage his workload and has not played for Fire since their second-ever game in July 2021. “I’ll be playing in the Hundred at some point. I think I’ll be having a week or so off,” Bairstow said after The Oval Test.

“I think after the last 11 months of toil if you like, going through what I have done and then to end the series 2-2 here is something I just need to reflect on,” he added. “[I will] spend a bit of time with my family and enjoy just a little bit of time away before the Hundred kicks off – and then the England [white-ball] games, and then the World Cup to come.”

Luke Wells hailed Shaheen Shah Afridi's match-winning contribution on his Welsh Fire debut as he took two wickets with his first two balls in the Hundred, straight off the plane from Pakistan. "Shaheen was amazing," Wells said. "It was incredible because he only arrived last night, straight out of the airport, a few hours sleep and into his work.

“Everyone knows what he will do, there is no mystery, but it is phenomenal skill, pace and swing so you may know it’s coming but it still gets batsmen, early on especially. It was the dream start - probably the reason why we ended up winning and defending that score in the end."

The BBC has spoken to presenter Chris Hughes after he made a comment that “was not appropriate” to Southern Brave’s Maitlan Brown in a sideline interview during the opening game of the Hundred.

Brown, the Australian allrounder, was asked by Hughes – a former Love Island contestant who has worked for the BBC throughout its coverage of the tournament – about how the team had bonded ahead of the tournament.

“We watched Barbie the other night, all together, and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together,” Brown said. “That is the key to success, I think, in tournaments like this: how well and how quickly you can gel as a group.”

Hughes responded by saying, “You’re a little Barbie yourself, aren’t you, with your blue eyes”. When Brown laughed, Hughes added, “She’s blushing now” – evoking Chris Gayle’s comments in a controversial interview with Mel McLaughlin in the Big Bash seven years ago.

The interview was widely criticised on social media. A BBC spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate.”

Ihsanullah, the Pakistan fast bowler who broke into the national team after a brilliant PSL season, has been ruled out of the Hundred through injury. He was due to play for Oval Invincibles after he was signed in March's draft.

Spencer Johnson, the Australia left-arm seamer, will replace him at Invincibles. Johnson has been playing for LA Knight Riders in MLC and Surrey Jaguars in the Global T20 Canada. "Spencer's availability will be confirmed in due course," an Invincibles spokesperson said.

Eve Jones has been announced as the new Birmingham Phoenix Women's captain, replacing Ellyse Perry in the role after Perry's withdrawal due to injury.

Tess Flintoff, the 20-year-old Australian allrounder, has signed for Phoenix as Perry's replacement in the squad.

Jones said: “I feel honoured to represent Birmingham Phoenix as captain,” said Jones. “Edgbaston is my home ground, and as a local girl, it will be a privilege to lead out the side.”

Ben Sawyer, Phoenix Women's coach, said: “I’m excited to see Eve take on the captaincy role as I know she’s a perfect fit. Having been Coach part of the group since the very beginning, Eve is a leader and a strong presence within the dressing room, especially with her experience with Central Sparks."

A huge blow for the men's competition: Rashid Khan has pulled out of the Hundred citing an undisclosed injury, on the eve of the opening night and less than 24 hours after he took 3 for 9 in the inaugural MLC final.

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The ECB have confirmed a number of replacements on Friday morning, as follows:

Birmingham Phoenix
Tanveer Sangha replaces Shadab Khan, from 14 August onwards
Ellyse Perry withdrawn through injury, replacement TBC

London Spirit
Dan Worrall replaces Olly Stone

Manchester Originals
Ben Raine replaces Fred Klaassen
Zaman Khan replaces Josh Little, from 16 August onwards (Little will return for the Eliminator and Final if Originals qualify).

Northern Superchargers
Jemimah Rodrigues replaces Heather Graham
Phoebe Litchfield replaces Alyssa Healy

Oval Invincibles
Jimmy Neesham replaces Heinrich Klaassen, from 20 August onwards
Hannah Rainey replaces Beth Langston

Southern Brave
Mitchell Santner replaces Tim David, from 20 August onwards

Trent Rockets
Ish Sodhi replaces Rashid Khan, from 10 August onwards

Welsh Fire
Ben Green replaces Ollie Pope
Chloe Skelton replaces Georgia Davis

Lauren Bell and Sophia Dunkley will miss the first week of the Hundred after discussions with England’s management.

Bell (Southern Brave) and Dunkley (Welsh Fire) have both had busy schedules this year, playing for England across formats and also featuring in the inaugural Women’s Premier League in India.

They will each miss their respective teams’ first two fixtures and are due to be available from August 6.

The rest of England’s women’s squad are due to be available throughout the tournament, which runs from August 1-27.