Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne has been named head coach of the Lord’s-based team for The Hundred – the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new limited-overs tournament.

The Hundred will be launched in July 2020 – and played across five weeks. The inaugural edition will feature eight city-based teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (Lord’s and The Oval).

‘I’m very proud and very honoured to be asked to be the head coach of The Hundred team based at Lord’s. The opportunity to coach in a brand-new tournament and work with modern-day players is something that I will really enjoy and I am looking forward to the challenge,’ said Warne.

‘This tournament will unearth some heroes and hopefully some future World Cup stars for England and other countries.’

Warned worked with the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League over a decade ago.

‘I always want to be ahead of the curve because cricket benefits from innovation and that was the case in 2008 with the IPL, when I was captain-coach of the Rajasthan Royals,’ he added.

‘I love the concept of The Hundred and it has grabbed my attention in the same way the IPL did. We built a team from scratch with a diverse range of players from different backgrounds and ages and I can’t wait to build the same mix of players to entertain the fans who come down to Lord’s for The Hundred.’

Warne’s team will comprise players from Essex, Northamptonshire and Middlesex.

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