Richard Halsall part of coaching set-up for Southampton Hundred team

Sussex pathway director Richard Halsall will be part of the coaching team for the Southampton-based men’s team in The Hundred.

The former England and Bangladesh assistant coach will work under Sri Lankan cricketing great – and former Sussex overseas player – Mahela Jayawardena, who has been appointed head coach for team.

Shane Bond, the bowling coach at Mumbai Indians and current Sydney Thunder head coach,  and former Hampshire cricketer Jimmy Adams complete the side’s coaching set-up.

Jayawardena said: ““The Hundred is an innovative and exciting new tournament and it is a great privilege to be Head Coach of the Southampton-based team. I’ve played international and county cricket at Southampton, it’s a great place and I’m looking forward to going back.

“I am delighted to be working alongside Shane Bond and some of the talented coaches from both Sussex and Hampshire.

“I think The Hundred will interest the world’s best players because England is a great place to play cricket. The structure of the tournament is good and that means most of the guys will put their name in the hat because this is a tournament that excites them.”

 Meanwhile, Charlotte Edwards has been appointed as head coach of the Southampton-based women’s team.

She said: ““I am really excited to be part of The Hundred. It’s my first Head Coach role and I think it’s the right time. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from coaching overseas and working with the Southern Vipers. It’s my time to have a go and see what I can do, I’m really excited by the opportunity and by The Hundred more generally.

“I think The Hundred is going to have a positive impact on the game at a grassroots level. I’m really looking forward to being there from the start and watching it all unfold. It’s really exciting because I’ve been to Australia and seen the impact the Big Bash has had and you just feel like we can do exactly that and more.”

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of the Hundred said, “It is very pleasing to welcome two genuine greats of the game to The Hundred. Both Charlotte and Mahela have won almost everything possible during their careers and show the quality of coaches the tournament is attracting.”

Mark Nicholas, the newly appointed Chairman of the Southampton-based team said, “Having spent 15 years working with Chance to Shine to ensure that more children embrace cricket, I strongly believe that The Hundred will help to attract both new and existing audiences. I’m delighted to lead the joining forces of the two counties that have meant the most to me in my life: Sussex, the team I fanatically supported in my childhood, and Hampshire, the club I was with for 18 years.

“We are proud to be one of the chosen franchises in The Hundred. We mean business, as proven by the early recruitment of Mahela Jayawardena, Charlotte Edwards and Shane Bond and will look to their vast experience both on and off the field to guide us on a path to success.”

The Hundred is a new and exciting 100-ball format that is set to launch in July next year with the men’s and women’s tournaments to run concurrently over a five-week period.

The tournament is set to attract some of the world’s best players and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and free-to-air on the BBC with eight city-based clubs, from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (Lord’s and the Oval).

The men’s Player Draft is set to provide an historic occasion for British sport when it is the first major draft to be held in this country on Sunday, October 20.

It will be shown live by Sky Sports with extensive coverage across the BBC.

Fans can register their interest in tickets and information via www.thehundred.com