Australia’s Elyse Villani and Daniel Sams have been selected by the Trent Rockets in the Overseas Wildcard Draft ahead of The Hundred later this summer.
Top order batter Villani has played 99 all-format games for her country, making a name for herself as a clean ball striker, showcased by her 15 fifties and 2,000 plus runs for the Southern Stars.
Sams, a left-arm quick and hard hitting middle-order batter, is Sydney Thunder’s top all-time wicket taker with 75 and has both IPL and Vitality Blast experience this year, with the Mumbai Indians and Essex respectively.
The selection of the pair leaves the Rockets with one final spot available, reserved for the Local Wildcards.
The first year of The Hundred displayed the thrill of short-format cricket with the likes of Alex Hales, Nat Sciver, Rashid Khan and Katherine Brunt performing on Trent Bridge’s hallowed turf.
In 2022, eight teams, based across seven cities will once again compete in men’s and women’s matches across the height of the summer holidays.
There are players from 13 nations in this year’s competition, confirming The Hundred’s place in the global sport and entertainment calendar, while the women’s and men’s drafts have taken place alongside each other, a first for the sport.
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred, said: “It is brilliant news to welcome 16 more international stars to The Hundred.
"Players from seven countries have been selected and it’s great to welcome the likes of Mohammad Hasnain, Deepti Sharma and Suzie Bates to The Hundred this year.
"This continues to take the quality of cricket to another level and we can’t wait for a second summer of incredible sporting action.”