Zafar Gohar earns Hundred call-up with Oval Invincibles
James Anderson will also make his Hundred debut this summer after being signed by Manchester Originals
Oval Invincibles have signed a Pakistan spinner Zafar Gohar as part of the wildcard draft for The Hundred 2025, strengthening their bowling attack ahead of the tournament.
In a major headline from the men's wildcard picks, England's veteran pacer James Anderson will make his Hundred debut this summer after being signed by Manchester Originals.
The 42-year-old, who returned to T20 cricket after 11 years, has taken 14 wickets in eight matches for Lancashire in the ongoing Vitality Blast. Initially undrafted in March, Anderson secured a £31,000 wildcard deal on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Rocky Flintoff has been drafted by the Northern Superchargers, coached by his father and former England captain Andrew Flintoff, despite having no professional T20 experience.
His recent form – including centuries for England Lions in Australia and England U-19s against India – has impressed selectors.
Southern Brave became the first team to sign an overseas wildcard, picking Australia’s Hilton Cartwright.
They recently replaced Faf du Plessis with Jason Roy and added Hampshire’s Toby Albert, who may don the gloves amid injury worries over Finn Allen and Laurie Evans.
Welsh Fire bolstered their squad with Glamorgan allrounder and ambidextrous spinner Ben Kellaway after his breakout county season.
Trent Rockets picked up Ben Sanderson, following his standout T20 campaign for Northamptonshire, and secured Callum Parkinson and Dillon Pennington, the latter replacing the injured John Turner.
Yorkshire duo James Wharton and Will Luxton were left out despite strong T20 Blast performances.
In the women’s wildcard draft, Manchester Originals signed Esmae MacGregor following her 21-wicket haul in the Blast for Essex. Birmingham Phoenix picked up Mary Taylor, reuniting her with twin sister Millie.
The Hundred 2025 begins on August 5 with a double-header between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord’s.
As for the Invincibles’ wildcard pick, the 30-year-old Pakistan spinner has been a consistent performer in the ongoing Vitality Blast 2025.
Representing Gloucestershire, he has claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 9.00.
Meanwhile, Gohar has played 82 T20 matches, picking up 85 wickets at an economy rate of 7.88.
He has represented Pakistan in one Test and one ODI — remaining wicketless in the red-ball format but claiming two wickets in the 50-over game.
In 93 first-class matches, the spinner has taken 327 wickets at an economy rate of 3.10, including 21 five-wicket hauls.
Men's Hundred wildcards (all £31,000):
- Trent Rockets: Callum Parkinson, Ben Sanderson
- Birmingham Phoenix: Liam Patterson-White, Louis Kimber
- Welsh Fire: Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway
- Northern Superchargers: James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff
- Manchester Originals: James Anderson, Marchant de Lange
- London Spirit: Sean Dickson, Ryan Higgins
- Oval Invincibles: George Scrimshaw, Zafar Gohar
- Southern Brave: Toby Albert, Hilton Cartwright
Women's Hundred wildcards (all £10,000):
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