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Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan among names in latest Hundred player retentions list

Sunil Narine, Mohammad Amir, Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez among confirmed overseas signings

Jonny Bairstow will remain with Welsh Fire despite losing his Test contract  •  Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Jonny Bairstow will remain with Welsh Fire despite losing his Test contract  •  Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and Jason Roy are among the England men's internationals who have been retained by their teams for this year's inaugural edition of the Hundred, while Sunil Narine, Mohammad Amir, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp and Mignon du Preez have been confirmed for overseas player slots.
The ECB has announced another batch of more than 50 player retentions for its new competition, which was pushed back by the Covid-19 pandemic. The process for allowing men's teams to decide whether they want to keep players selected in the original draft in 2019 will run until February 4, after which there will be a mini-draft to complete the squads.
All players in the women's competition had previously been given the option to roll over their contracts or negotiate with other teams.
Bairstow will remain with Welsh Fire, despite losing his place as the team's centrally contracted Test player to Ollie Pope, where he is understood to have secured a top-band contract worth £100,000. He will play for the Cardiff-based team alongside fellow white-ball internationals Tom Banton and Ben Duckett.
"I'm delighted to be staying at Welsh Fire and I'm really looking forward to representing the team this summer," Bairstow said. "Ben and Tom are both excellent players and we've got the makings of a really strong line-up."
Malan, ranked the ICC's No. 1 T20I batsman, has opted to stay with Trent Rockets on an increased deal after initially being drafted in the sixth of seven salary bands, while Roy will play on his county home ground with Oval Invincibles.
"I was really pleased when Trent Rockets picked me in the men's draft and it was a no-brainer to stay with the side," Malan said. "We've got a really exciting mix of local talent and overseas stars and we'll be aiming to bring the trophy to Trent Bridge."
In the women's competition, South Africa's Lee and du Preez have signed for Manchester Originals, Kapp stays at Oval Invincibles, and their compatriot Chloe Tryon will turn out for Lord's-based London Spirit.
"I've got some fantastic memories of playing in England both internationally and in the Kia Super League and I can't wait to take part in the Hundred later this year for Manchester Originals," Lee said. "It's really exciting to be playing in a new competition and I think it's a great opportunity to continue to grow the women's game."
Kapp added: "The Kia Oval is a fantastic place to play cricket and I'm really looking forward to playing for Oval Invincibles there. We've got a great group of players and I'm hoping we can go all the way in the competition."
Other notable retentions include England spinner Kirstie Gordon remaining with Birmingham Phoenix, Narine staying at Oval Invincibles, and Amir and Mohammad Nabi sticking with London Spirit.

Player retentions

Birmingham Phoenix: Emily Arlott, Kirstie Gordon, Tom Helm, Benny Howell, Phoebe Franklin, Abtaha Maqsood
London Spirit: Mohammad Amir, Amara Carr, Aylish Cranstone, Jade Dernbach, Danielle Gibson, Mohammad Nabi, Luis Reece, Adam Rossington, Susie Rowe, Chloe Tryon
Manchester Originals: Joe Clarke, Danielle Collins, Mignon du Preez, Alice Dyson, Cordelia Griffith, Hannah Jones, Lizelle Lee, Phil Salt
Northern Superchargers: Helen Fenby, Bess Heath, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth
Oval Invincibles: Megan Belt, Alex Blake, Eva Gray, Marizanne Kapp, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, Rhianna Southby, Nathan Sowter
Southern Brave: Lauren Bell, Alex Davies, Sonia Odedra, Max Waller
Trent Rockets: Kathryn Bryce, Matthew Carter, Abbey Freeborn, Dawid Malan, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney
Welsh Fire: Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Hennessy, Lauren Filer, Sophie Luff, Natasha Wraith