Men's Hundred 2025: James Anderson, Rocky Flintoff among wildcard picks
What's the story
Veteran England pacer James Anderson and young prodigy Rocky Flintoff have been awarded wildcard contracts for Men's Hundred 2025. Anderson, who will turn 43 this month, is set to make his debut in the tournament after being picked by Manchester Originals in a £31,000 deal. Meanwhile, Flintoff has been selected by Northern Superchargers for the same amount. He is yet to play a professional T20 match.
Anderson
Anderson's return to T20 cricket
After a stellar 22-year career, Anderson announced his retirement from international cricket in 2024. He bowed out as the only pacer with 700 Test wickets. Despite retiring, Anderson returned to T20 cricket after an 11-year hiatus, earlier this year. He took 14 wickets from eight games for Lancashire in the 2025 Vitality Blast, as a new-ball specialist.
Information
A look at his T20 stats
As mentioned, Anderson played his first T20 in over a decade this year. The 42-year-old seamer made a statement by recording his best T20 figures (3/17 vs Durham). Overall, the pacer has taken 36 wickets from 32 T20s at an average of 26.97.
Flintoff
Journey of Rocky Flintoff
On the other hand, Flintoff, son of the great Andrew Flintoff, has already proved his mettle for England Lions. He slammed a century for the side in Australia this winter. He recently reached the three figures for England against India in Youth ODIs. Rocky, who is expected to carry his father's legacy, is also a fast-bowling all-rounder.
Additional signings
Men's Hundred 2025 wildcard signings (£31,000)
Here are the wilcard picks, as per ESPNcricinfo. Trent Rockets: Callum Parkinson and Ben Sanderson. Birmingham Phoenix: Liam Patterson-White and Louis Kimber. Welsh Fire: Ajeet Singh Dale and Ben Kellaway. Northern Superchargers: James Fuller and Rocky Flintoff. Manchester Originals: James Anderson and Marchant de Lange. London Spirit: Sean Dickson and Ryan Higgins. Oval Invincibles: George Scrimshaw and Zafar Gohar. Southern Brave: Toby Albert and Hilton Cartwright.