The Hundred Draft: Five high-profile stars who went unsold

#4 Trent Boult

Trent Boult

Trent Boult, along with his skipper Kane Williamson, set his reserve price at £100,000. While the Daniel Vettori coached Birmingham picked the New Zeland captain, no team showed interest in the fast bowler. As a result, Boult will be a non-competitor in the coming season.

The franchises leaving out Boult seems surprising given the fact that he is one of the best white ball bowlers of his generation, but the decision can be attributed to his partial availability in the window of the tournament.

He has various records to his name in international cricket and also has the experience of playing in two consecutive World Cup finals. The fast bowler was the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup and one of the main reasons behind New Zealand reaching the finals. With 22 wickets in 9 matches, Boult made the team look formidable throughout the tournament.

In the 2019 World Cup, the bowler grabbed 17 wickets in 10 matches. He also took a hat-trick in the tournament and became the first New Zealander in history to do so. Therefore, The Hundred will miss the unique touch this trailblazer brings.

---

#3 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi is a cricketing legend who is immensely popular for his attacking style of batting. Every cricket fan knows about his exploits with the bat, particularly his 18-year long world record of scoring the fastest hundred in ODIs, a feat he achieved in 1996.

Now at the fag end of his career, Afridi contributes whatever he can to entertain his fans, by taking part in the T10 League and the Pakistan Super League.

With hopes of bringing his vintage set of repertoires to the new format, the veteran registered his name. However, no franchise was interested in obtaining the services of the legend. It is puzzling to figure out why these teams ignored the star power that comes with Afridi.

For players like Afridi, age doesn't matter as the value and energy he brings to a side is inestimable. Whatever the case for his snubbing might be, it is unfortunate because the fans are going to miss his legendary batting skills and useful bowling on display in the innovative format.