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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has become the latest overseas player to pull out of The Hundred as he took his name back from his £80,000 (US$110,000) contract with Birmingham Phoenix. It is being learned that Williamson has taken this decision to manage his prolonged elbow injury.
Notably, the Blackcaps skipper has been managing this injury for the last six months and also pulled out of an ODI series against Bangladesh due to the same reason. He even missed the beginning of the Indian Premier League and had to sit out of the second Test match against England so that he could recover in time for the World Test Championship final. However, Williamson is still in England and is set to be involved with them in a mentoring role.
Adam Zampa also likely to withdraw
Furthermore, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has also decided against participating in The Hundred due to his international commitments. This is because the Men in Green are set to tour to West Indies during the Hundred’s window in July-August. Shaheen was also part of Birmingham Phoenix. It is also being learned that even Adam Zampa, their third overseas player, will also pull out since he is likely to be a part of Australia squad for their tour of West Indies and Bangladesh.
Also Read: David Warner and Marcus Stoinis pull out of The Hundred
Meanwhile, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has joined Welsh Fire and is likely to be available for five games after their limited-overs tour to Ireland as a replacement for Jhye Richardson.