The Hundred Draft will be live on Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Sky One from 7pm on Sunday
Sunday 20 October 2019 06:46, UK
Before the real Hundred Draft comes the mock one!
For a bit of fun, we charged Nasser Hussain, Ian Ward, Rob Key and Isa Guha - all of whom will be part of our coverage of The Hundred Draft on Sunday night - to make their first-round picks.
Thirteen places were up for grabs, with the likes of Chris Gayle, David Warner, Kagiso Rabada, Andre Russell and Rashid Khan vying for selection and a cool £125k - but which way did our pundits go?
Find out below and then watch the Hundred Draft proper, live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday night…
(NB: Pre-selected 'local icon' players listed in bold)
Rob Key: Andre Russell (West Indies, all-rounder):
"You want absolute value with your overseas picks. The Hundred is going to be about smacking it out of the park, bowling well at the top and bowling tightly at the death - and Russell does all three."
Ian Ward: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan, spinner)
"He is your No 1 pick, full stop. Like Kyler Murray from the 2019 NFL Draft; he's the standout player."
Isa Guha: Rashid Khan
"He is the MVP, in my opinion. Mystery spin, so important in white-ball cricket, I would be looking at Russell - a hard-hitting all-rounder - but Rashid is just too good to pass up.
Nasser Hussain: Rashid Khan
"He's the best white-ball, franchise spin bowler and I've got two fine batsmen in Joe Root and Alex Hales, and a left-armer in Harry Gurney already."
RK: Rashid Khan
"He's a mystery spinner and proven wicket-taker - one of the most successful short-form bowlers in the world."
NH: Andre Russell
"I'm not going to waste my £125k on anyone that is not proven quality and Russell ticks all the boxes."
IW: Andre Russell
"Russell provides death-bowling and he whacks it miles with the bat. Add him to Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan already there, it's one hell of a pace trio! That's 60 deliveries of the 100 accounted for already."
IG: Andre Russell
"With Rashid off the board, the Brave will go for Russell. Super destructive, with bat and ball.
IW: David Warner (Australia, opening batsman)
"You've already got the wrist-spin of Adil Rashid, the left-arm of David Willey, so let's get a batsman in there. Warner is the best available and ends up linking up with [coach] Darren Lehmann again."
NH: David Warner
"I think they need an opening batsman and with Darren Lehman at the helm, Warner's powerful ball-striking makes him a standout pick. I'd also make him captain, based on how he led Sunrisers Hyderabad and in the T20 Tri-nations for Australia."
IG: Mitchell Starc (Australia, left-arm pace)
"I was deliberating over picking a top-order batsman here, maybe Chris Lynn, but the left-arm pace of Starc is just too valuable."
RK: Mitchell Starc
"He's not only the best death bowler in the world but he bowls at the top; the only thing he doesn't have on Russell is the batting."
RK: Sunil Narine (West Indies, spinner)
"I kind of get what domestic cricket doesn't have to offer; there are lots of good batsmen in domestic cricket, don't get me wrong, but there aren't mystery spinners like Narine which is why I go for them first. Plus, he can whack it."
NH: Mitchell Starc
"This is easy in the sense that they clearly need a bowler, with Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton and Colin Ingram already in the side. Starc is devastating on his day. A genuine match-winner."
IW: Mitchell Starc
"The Fire need bowlers; they could look at the mystery spin of Sunil Narine here. Starc is comfortably in the top three or four picks available. It just depends in which order they go."
IG: Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka, pace bowler)
"If Starc is off the board, I think the Fire will go for Malinga. They've got three batsmen already; they need a bowler, and he is quality - particularly at the death, bowling his yorkers."
RK: Kagiso Rabada (South Africa, right-arm pace)
"Let's assume that he's around, rather than playing for South Africa. His extra pace makes him a good wicket-taker at the top and a threat at the death. I've always believed the game is about bowling."
IW: Aaron Finch (Australia, opening batsman)
"Finch and Jason Roy opening the batting at The Oval, thanks very much. Good luck bowling at those two!"
NH: Aaron Finch
"Finch seems a natural fit, given his connection to the Oval and the opportunity to link up with fellow Aussie Tom Moody. Roy and Finch know each other well - it's a really good dynamic combination up front.
IG: David Warner
"The natural pick would be Finch, because he has been at Surrey and knows The Oval well. But, I think because Tom Moody is coach, he will go with Warner - they have spent a lot of time together already in the IPL with Sunrisers."
NH: Kieron Pollard (West Indies, all-rounder)
"He's a high-quality franchise cricketer with a proven track record. I'd like an opening batsman but with Warner and Finch gone, I could go Gayle - but Pollard gets the nod as I think he'd win more games at the moment."
IW: Sunil Narine
"What you want from your overseas picks is what is less-widely available in domestic cricket. So, mystery spin. He can also whack it about a bit, if you want a pinch-hitter at the top of the order. It's no concern to me that Matt Parkinson is already with Manchester; you need two spinners at Old Trafford, a bigger ground."
IG: Sunil Narine
"Head coach Simon Katich and spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe have both worked with Narine previously with the Kolkata Knight Riders."
RK: David Warner
"They have their spinner in Matt Parkinson, so I'm looking to the top of the order. An attacking batsman who offers more at the top of the order than someone like Chris Gayle. I think this game is going to be about explosive cricketers."
IG: D'Arcy Short (Australia, opening batsman)
"This is a difficult one. With Eoin Morgan already slated in as their 'local icon' player at No 10, they don't get another pick till No 23. They need a death bowler and a hard-hitting allrounder but, I know that [coach] Shane Warne is a big fan of Short, so I think that's who they go for."
NH: D'Arcy Short
"I think Shane Warne is going to be funky throughout this process. They are short at the top of the order and Shane likes Short; Short isn't in the top-tier bracket but Shane won't want to miss out on him."
IW: Lasith Malinga
"D'Arcy Short is someone they might be eyeing up but, with batsmen already in their squad, you're going to need a bowler, particularly a death bowler, so Malinga is the pick."
RK: Lasith Malinga
"There aren't many domestic cricketers who would have faced Malinga, so there's still more than a spot of mystery in his armoury. That said I'd be worried about his fitness."
NH: Babar Azam (Pakistan, opening batsman)
"Andrew McDonald would like Finch, but I've already picked him. With Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Pat Brown already inked in, they need batsmen. His availability worries me but I'm happy to take a punt on the No 1 T20 batsman in the world."
IW: Babar Azam
"I'm going to pick the No 1 ranked T20 batsman in the world right now, Babar, to open for the Phoenix. There's lots of Pakistani cricket followers in the Birmingham area, so that's a nice fit."
RK: Mohammad Amir (Pakistan, left-arm fast)
"Guaranteed to be available now he's retired from Test cricket, his left-arm pace will prove a threat."
IG: Aaron Finch
"Finch is still on the table and a natural fit to fill one of the opening spots at Edgbaston."
RK: Glenn Maxwell (Australia, all-rounder)
"They've got two good bowlers already in Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood; I see Maxwell as a hitter but also a 'bowl me a few' bowler and gun fielder. He's in the heat of the game."
IW: Glenn Maxwell
"Maxwell has played at Old Trafford for Lancashire. That is a slight advantage, just like with Finch at The Oval - he'll know the place, conditions, and probably sit in the same spot in the dressing room."
IG: Chris Lynn (Australia, opening batsman)
"I was looking at Maxwell or Shane Watson, but I've got Lynn teaming up with Narine [Manchester's possible earlier pick] at the top of the order, just like in Kolkata."
NH: Chris Gayle (West Indies, opening batsman)
"I'm a little concerned that his form might have tailed off of late - will he come off enough times to win you enough games? But you can't doubt his track record."
RK: AJ Tye (Australia, right-arm fast)
"He's down the order a little bit but I think the danger in this draft is that you get fixated with the top-brand players, whereas I think half of the challenge of this is getting strength throughout your squad. Tye is one of the better death bowlers in the world so I would pick him up earlier rather than later."
IW: Kieron Pollard
"Pollard. Hard-hitting allrounder, whacking the ball over those straight boundaries down in Cardiff. Good luck!"
IG: Mohammad Amir
"Another big pick, as the Fire don't have a second-round selection, what with Colin Ingram and Tom Banton already slotted in their squad. I'm tempted by Maxwell again, but I think they'll go for another high-quality bowler and a left-arm option in Amir."
NH: Glenn Maxwell
"I need to bulk out the middle-order - I don't want to end up like Royal Challengers Bangalore and have top guns at the top but be a little lightweight further down. Maxwell hits well down the ground so should do well at Cardiff with the shorter straight boundaries."
RK: Shane Watson (Australia, opening batsman)
"He's been written off time and time again but he's a proven winner in T20 cricket with the Chennai Super Kings; I think he'll be a big trier - you want someone with something to prove. He's also very good at turning up and delivering despite not playing a lot."
IW: Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal, spinner)
"I'm thinking Lamichhane here, another mystery spinner to bowl in tandem with Adil for the Superchargers."
IG: Glenn Maxwell
"Lehmann sticking with the Aussies; they've then got a legspin option in Adil and offspin from Maxwell."
NH: Kagiso Rabada
"With Warner, Stokes, Rashid and Willey locked in I think I'm going to need an opening bowler. The only question with Rabada is how much he might be available next summer."
RK: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan, right-arm spin)
"Jofra Archer might not play much - but they do have James Vince and Chris Jordan. Mujeeb offers a little bit of mystery and he knows the ground well, too, having played previously at the Ageas Bowl."
NH: Mujeeb Ur Rahman
"I need a spinner - and a mystery spinner too. Mujeeb is priced competitively and I'd back him to win me a few games."
IW: Trent Boult (New Zealand, left-arm pace)
"Left-armer. They could opt for Amir, but I just like Boult as a cricketer."
IG: Kieron Pollard
"I think [coach] Mahela Jayawardena might go for Pollard with this pick, with their IPL connection with the Mumbai Indians. Plus, Pollard joining Russell in the middle-order is a pretty devastating combination!"
RK: Quinton de Kock (South Africa, wicketkeeper-batsman)
"I want my overseas to offer more than just batting. I always think that in short-form batting your batsmen are hit-or-miss whoever you are but the bowlers, all-rounders and wicketkeepers would hopefully have an impact in every single game. De Kock balances the team by being able to open and keep."
IW: Chris Gayle
"Gayle! Opening the batting with Alex Hales, with that short boundary one side at Trent Bridge."
IG: Chris Gayle
"I'm tempted by Dwayne Bravo, linking up with his Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming. But, they can always get him with the first pick of the second round, so I'm going for Gayle too before he's no longer available."
NH: Sunil Narine
"Ideally, I need a batsman to open with Hales. I'm actually going to go with Narine as he can open the batting and gives you a spin option as well."
The Hundred Draft - Live will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Sky One from 7pm on Sunday.
It will also be available via Sky Sports' Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as live on the Sky Sports app and streamed on skysports.com.
