Nat Sciver and Lewis Gregory will captain Trent Rockets in The Hundred

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England stars Nat Sciver and Lewis Gregory will captain Trent Rockets in The Hundred this summer as the Nottingham-based team looks for glory in the competition’s first year.

Sciver sits third on the ICC T20 all-rounder rankings and shone at the recent Women’s T20 World Cup. She scored over 200 runs in the tournament, with three half-centuries in four innings, as England reached the semi-finals.

A hard-hitting batter, and an inventive medium-pace bowler, Sciver brings captaincy experience from her time leading the Surrey Stars in the Kia Super League; lifting the trophy in 2018.

Trent Rockets’ women’s squad, with eight players announced so far, features her fiancée, Katherine Brunt, as well as Australian duo Elyse Villani and Sophie Molineux. England spinners Mady Villiers and Sarah Glenn also feature, with Beth Langston and Kathryn Bryce bringing more international experience.

Sciver said: “It’s a huge honour to be asked to captain Trent Rockets for this summer’s competition. It promises to be a great spectacle of sport and I’m excited by the squad we’re putting together.

“It’ll be fun to play alongside Katherine for a few weeks on the field and her international experience will be great for some of the younger players in our team. We’ve also got two of England’s most exciting young spinners in the squad in Mady and Sarah, while Sophie and Elyse offer more high-quality short format experience.”

Salliann Briggs, Trent Rockets women’s team head coach, said: “I’ve known Nat for a long time since her early years in the sport, so I can’t wait to work with her again now she’s one of the world’s best players.

“She has impressed as a captain in domestic competitions before and I have full confidence she’ll get the best out of the squad in The Hundred. Her international experience in one of the world’s best short-format teams will undoubtedly help our chances of success this year.”

For the men’s squad, Gregory made his England debut on the tour of New Zealand before Christmas before going on to lead England Lions in four matches on their unbeaten tour of Australia.

The Plymouth all-rounder has also led Somerset in the Vitality Blast in for the last two seasons and has earned a reputation as a big-hitting finisher, which his T20 strike rate of 146 attests to.

Gregory will lead more big hitters in the shape of Alex Hales, D’Arcy Short and Dawid Malan as the Rockets strive for success, with number one draft pick Rashid Khan the ace in the pack for the Trent Bridge side.

Gregory said: “I can’t wait to lead this team out at Trent Bridge this summer. We’ve got so many iconic local players that the support from the crowd should be incredible.

“There’s great balance in our squad, with batsmen who can hit the ball out the ground, seamers who can knock over stumps and spinners who can tie opposition up in knots.

“With Stephen Fleming at the helm and the firepower in the dressing room, I think we’ve got a great chance of challenging for the title in the first year.”

Stephen Fleming, Trent Rockets’ men's team head coach, said: “Lewis has all the attributes required to skipper our side this year and I’m confident he’ll get the best out of our talented squad.

“He’s got a good temperament on the field and works well with his players to achieve results. He’s also one of the best white-ball all-rounders in the country, who will add a huge amount to the team.”

Trent Rockets’ men’s team start their campaign in The Hundred on Sunday 19 July against Birmingham Phoenix at Trent Bridge, while the women’s side begin against Welsh Fire on 25 July in a double-header with the men’s side in Nottingham.