Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim join The Hundred as replacements

LONDON: Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim on Tuesday signed contracts with Northern Superchargers for the 2025 season of The Hundred, becoming the first Pakistan players to secure deals for this year’s competition.

According to a report, the signings came after concerns earlier in the year that Pakistani players might miss out on the tournament under its new ownership structure.

The two players have been drafted in as replacements after Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis was ruled out for the entire season due to international duty, while New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner will miss two matches for the same reason. 

The Northern Superchargers are set to come under the operational control of Indian media group Sun Group from October 1, which had raised questions about Pakistan’s participation in the league.

Earlier this year, eyebrows were raised when no Pakistan men’s players were picked during the March draft, a stark contrast to previous seasons.

Speculation mounted that the influence of new investors four of the eight franchises now have owners based in India and two more are Indian-American, might have played a role. 

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) firmly dismissed such concerns, assuring that Pakistani players would not be excluded from the tournament.

Analysts suggested that Pakistan players’ unavailability during the draft due to a white-ball tour of the West Indies and a tri-series in the UAE, coupled with their recent T20I struggles and last year’s late withdrawals by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, contributed to their absence.

Amir and Imad’s arrival strengthens the Superchargers’ lineup, which will also feature England all-rounder Ben Stokes. Although Stokes opted out of playing in The Hundred this season after undergoing shoulder surgery.