FILE PHOTO: Cricket - First Test - England v West Indies - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - July 11, 2024 England's Ben Stokes Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
(Reuters) - England captain Ben Stokes will play in The Hundred this year after the conclusion of England's test series with West Indies, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.
Stokes, who last played in the competition in 2021, will be available to his team Northern Superchargers, coached by Andrew Flintoff, for four matches after the third test concludes in Birmingham, the ECB said in a statement.
England batters Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith will also play in The Hundred after the West Indies series concludes.
"The availability of England Men's bowlers will be dependent on workload and international selection," the ECB said.
"But Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Dillon Pennington are all likely to feature in The Hundred from the early rounds. Chris Woakes is expected to be available from Tuesday 6 August."
The ECB said it expects the players selected for the first test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford from Aug. 21 to be available for The Hundred's playoffs on Aug. 17 and 18.
England will host Sri Lanka for three tests, with the final two matches to be played in London at the Lord's from Aug. 29 and the Oval from Sep. 6.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
