Unselected in The Hundred's draft earlier this year, veteran pacer James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff's son, Rocky got a 'wildcard' contract with Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers respectively. Anderson who will turn 43 this month, has been rewarded for his T20 Blast performances. Meanwhile, Rocky is set for The Hundred debut despite no prior experience in professional T20 circuit.
All the 'wildcard' players will get 31,000 pounds each (35,63,000 approximately). This is less than the base price of an overseas player in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Anderson shines on T20 comeback
Lancashire's Anderson has claimed 14 wickets from eight games at ana verage of 16.07. He also registered his best bowling figures in the T20 format on return to T20 Blast after a long hiatus of 11 years.
Rocky's recent form
On the other hand, Rocky will be playing under the coaching of his father Andrew. Teenager Rocky has played T20 cricket for Lancashire's 2nd XI. Recently, he played in the One-Day series for England Under-19 against India Under-19. He scored 212 runs from five innings, including a century. Also, he scored 93 in the Youth Test against Ayush Mhatre-led India Under-19 side.
When will Anderson bowl to Rocky in The Hundred 2025?
If Rocky gets to play for Northern Superchargers straightaway, he will be playing against Manchester Originals at Headingley, Leeds on August 26. In the league stage clash, Anderson may bowl to young Rocky.
Discarded Aussie batter scripts history
Meanwhile, Southern Brave became the first team in the league to pick an overseas player as a wildcard. They roped in Australia's Hilton Cartwright who has played two Tests and as many ODIs.
Here is a list of all players will 'wildcard' contracts -
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