Shane Warne has been named as the head coach of the Lord’s-based Hundred franchise, with Lisa Keightley taking the equivalent role for the women’s team, ahead of the first year of the ECB’s new 100-ball competition in 2020.
Warne, 49, is the third men’s coach to be confirmed for the tournament, following the unveiling of his fellow Australians Simon Katich, at Manchester, and Andrew McDonald in Birmingham.
The Lord’s team will comprise players from Middlesex, Essex, Northamptonshire and MCC, and will be one of eight city-based clubs from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and a second London team based at The Oval.
Warne was famously captain-coach of Rajasthan Royals when they won the first-ever Indian Premier League title in 2008, and hopes that history can repeat itself next summer.
I’m very proud and very honoured to be asked to be the head coach of The Hundred team based at Lord’s,” said Warne. “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.
“This tournament will unearth some heroes and hopefully some future World Cup stars for England and other countries.
“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 said.
“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.”
Keightley, the former Australia Women’s coach, becomes the first female coach appointed for The Hundred. She secured her place in cricketing folklore in 1998 when she became the first female player to score a century at Lord’s while playing for Australia, in a one-day international against England.
She has since served as England Women’s Academy head coach before returning home to coach Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League.
“It is an honour to be appointed as the first female coach for The Hundred and to be a part of a tournament that is set to showcase the best women’s players from around the world,” she said.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a coach in England and the prestige and opportunity of this role made it an easy decision for me to come back.”