Srinagar: In a major surprise and shock, Pakistan all format skipper Babar Azam and star wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan went unsold in The Hundred draft on Thursday.
In the draft, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Ihsanullah were sold.
Afridi entered the draft with a reserve price of £100,000, whereas Rauf entered the draft at a reserve price of £60,000.
Babar Azam, who also entered the draft with a reserve price of £100,000, didn’t find any takers.
Meanwhile, Oval Invincibles picked Multan Sultans’ pacer, Ihsanullah, for £40,000.
Last month, Pakistan all-rounder, Shadab Khan, was retained for £100k by Birmingham Phoenix. Shadab will play alongside international cricketers like Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone for Phoenix.
The Hundred organizing committee had conducted a fan poll on Wednesday to determine which cricketer is popular amongst the vast pool of cricket fans for this year’s draft. Babar topped the charts after bagging 25% of audience votes. However, The Hundred franchises didn’t quite have the same opinion and Babar went unsold for yet another year.
In last year’s draft as well, Babar was not picked as the tournament clashed with Pakistan’s international commitments. Babar was listed at the reserve price of £125,000.
The competition will begin in August. Trent Rockets won the men’s competition last year after defeating Manchester Originals in the final match.