Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam expected to participate in 'The Hundred'

• The Hundred would be an inaugural 100-ball competition.
• David Warner, Steve Smith, Rashid Khan among other international stars picked in draft.

Pakistan former all rounder Shahid Afridi and rising star Babar Azam are among the two Pakistani players to make into the inaugural The Hundred player draft scheduled to take place on 20 October.

The upcoming 100-ball English tournament would be played among eight city-based teams, and will take place next year from 17 July-16 August. The eight teams will be based in London (two teams), Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff and Southampton.

Alongside Shahid Afridi and Babar Azam the other big names that are expected to participate in the tournament include Afghanistan captain and spin sensation Rashid Khan, Australia's opener David Warner, Steve Smith and speedster Mitchell Starc, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Kiwis’ Kane Williamson.

“The Hundred, yes, I do think we need it. We need one franchise-based tournament, with fewer teams, in order to consistently sell the game to the country,” said England limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan, quoted BBC.

“Anybody I speak to who loves sport but doesn't necessarily love cricket is crying out for a tournament that he or she understands, because 18 teams going for a long period of time just doesn't make sense to anybody,” he added.