img source:NDTV Sports
Shafali Verma to play in the Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix
Teen sensation Shafali Verma is set to join India's T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, deputy Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The swashbuckling opener will play for Birmingham Phoenix under Kiwi all-rounder Sophie Devine. Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments confirmed that Shafali is the fifth Indian player who has been handed a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “It is delightful news not just for Shafali but for Indian women’s cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will reunite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has already been a very positive road forward for the youngster," the source said. The 17-year-old has shown that she loves taking on fresh challenges and speaking after her spectacular showing in the women's series against South Africa in March, Shafali had revealed how she trained with the Haryana men's team to improve her game.
“The reason behind the fast foot movement is the time I spent with the Haryana men's team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. I cannot thank the Haryana Cricket Association enough for allowing me to train with the team. What it did was that it helped my decision-making power at the crease as I was facing fast bowlers who were touching close to the 140kph mark.”
