Zimbabwean cricket legend and London Spirit head coach Andy Flower has welcomed the selection of Pakistani spinners Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq in The Hundred draft, describing their inclusion as a positive step for the tournament’s credibility.
The 2026 player draft, held Thursday at the iconic Piccadilly Lights in London, saw Birmingham Phoenix sign leg-spinner Usman Tariq for £140,000, making him the first Pakistani player selected.
Shortly after, Abrar Ahmed was picked by the IPL-backed franchise Sunrisers Leeds for £190,000 following a bidding contest with Trent Rockets.
Speaking to a British sports platform, Flower praised the transparent recruitment process that enabled their selection.
He said the presence of Pakistani cricketers adds both quality and balance to the competition while also demonstrating the tournament’s inclusivity.
“It is a really good thing that Usman Tariq was signed, and then Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds,” said the 57-year-old coach.
“It is a really good thing for the tournament. Pakistan players are highly talented and we want a fair and equitable process, and this is good evidence of that. I enjoyed watching that process,” he added.
Abrar Ahmed’s signing by Sunrisers Leeds, a franchise owned by Kavya Maran and connected to the Indian Premier League (IPL), was seen as a particularly notable moment.
The franchise’s significant investment in a Pakistani international highlighted a shift away from traditional commercial rivalries and toward selecting players purely on cricketing ability.
However, the draft produced mixed results for other Pakistani players. Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Saim Ayub all went unsold during their respective rounds.
The three players remained without teams even after the final draft round, which allowed franchises to select from the remaining pool of players.
Despite the opportunity, none of the eight teams chose to sign them.
In another development, Pakistan’s ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi was among five high-profile overseas players who withdrew from the draft shortly before it began.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Afridi pulled out alongside Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, AM Ghazanfar, and Peter Siddle just hours before bidding started.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred will take place from July 21 to August 16.
The tournament will open with a London derby, as MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles) face Sunrisers Leeds (formerly Northern Superchargers) at The Oval.
