Shaheen Shah Afridi to skip The Hundred amid interest from Canada

Shaheen Shah Afridi is pulling out of this year’s Hundred, depriving the tournament of one of its biggest stars.

The left-arm quick, who played in Pakistan’s two Twenty20 matches in England over the past week, had been re-signed by Welsh Fire – in the £100,000 category for the competition, the second highest band – after playing six games for the side in 2023. The Global T20 Canada, are believed to be in discussions to sign him. The competition clashes with the Hundred but is shorter, meaning Shaheen would be able to enjoy more time at home with his family if he did sign up.

Though Shaheen has withdrawn from the Hundred, he is not thought to have officially signed with the Global T20 Canada yet.

The absence of Shaheen, one of the most lethal pace bowlers in the world, is a major blow for the tournament as he is among the most recognisable and marketable players in the world game. Renowned for generating new-ball swing at devastating pace, he played a leading role as Pakistan reached the final of the last T20 World Cup. He has taken 91 wickets at an average of 20.4 in his T20 international career, and also thrived in one-day international and Test cricket. Welsh Fire are expected to name another pace bowler as a replacement shortly.

The news about Shaheen comes as the Hundred is in a state of flux. The England & Wales Cricket Board this week confirmed that Raine Group, the New York firm, and Deloitte will act as lead financial advisors as the process to secure private investment in the competition begins. There are hopes that up to £500 million can be raised through the privatisation of the tournament.

The working model would see the ECB hand 51 per cent of the eight teams to the host county – or club, in the case of MCC at Lord’s. The remaining 49 per cent would then be sold to private investors by the ECB. The host county would be free to sell as much or as little of their share as they chose.

Part of the rationale for the privatisation of the Hundred is to increase salaries for players, helping the competition to attract more of the world’s best talent. The current top salary band is £125,000 – a figure that can be dwarfed by not only the Indian Premier League but also Major League Cricket, which clashes with the Hundred this year.

Major League Cricket, which follows the USA co-hosting the T20 World Cup, is being played from July 5 to July 28. The Hundred will run from July 23 to August 18. But scheduling clashes between the two tournaments are likely to intensify, with Major League Cricket increasing from six teams to ten from next summer. Like the Global T20 Canada, Major League Cricket allows private investment, which enables some elite players to earn more than they would in the Hundred.