Shafali Verma receives NOC to play for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred

Indian opener Shafali Verma has been cleared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to feature in The Hundred later this year. She will be the fifth Indian cricketer to participate in the inaugural edition of the tournament which will be played across England and Wales.

According to reports, the 17-year-old will represent Birmingham Phoenix in the all-new format of the game under the captaincy of New Zealand's Sophie Devine.

The tournament will also see Shafali reunite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer, and her stint in England promises to be a significant learning curve. Speaking to ANI, a source close to the development said:

"It is a delightful news not just for Shafali but for Indian women's cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will reunite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help (Shafali) grow further in what has already been a very positive road forward for the youngster."

With no player drafts for the women in The Hundred, the participating teams' head coaches will select the players.

Four Indian players granted NOC before Shafali Verma

The Hundred gets underway on July 21, and the BCCI had earlier granted NOCs to four other India players: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues.

"Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Deepti and another player have got the clearance as the BCCI has granted the NOC for them," a BCCI source earlier told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Harmanpreet Kaur will play for Manchester Originals, while Smriti Mandhana is set to represent Southern Brave in the franchise-based 100-ball tournament comprising eight men’s and women’s teams.

All five women cricketers are expected to extend their stay after the conclusion of the bilateral series against England in July to participate in The Hundred.

The England tour will begin with a one-off Test on June 16 and run till July 15, with three ODI and three T20 matches also scheduled.

The selectors will likely pick the squad for this tour after the appointment of a head coach.

The Indian players were earlier asked to report for the tour on May 27.