Shane Warne named coach of Lord’s team in The Hundred

Australian legend Shane Warne on Friday named coach of the Lord’s team, the London-based side, in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The team comprises of MCC, Middlesex, Essex and Northamptonshire.

The former legspinner said he was “proud” to be named as the coach. “I’m very proud and very honoured to be asked to be the head coach of The Hundred team based at Lord’s. The opportunity to coach in a brand-new tournament and work with modern-day players is something that I will really enjoy and I am looking forward to the challenge,” said Warne in a media release issued by Lord’s Cricket Ground.

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“This tournament will unearth some heroes and hopefully some future World Cup stars for England and other countries,” added Warne.

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Warne, in addition to his tremendous success at the international level, was the captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and led the team to Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph in the first edition of the tournament.

“I always want to be ahead of the curve because cricket benefits from innovation and that was the case in 2008 with the IPL, when I was captain-coach of the Rajasthan Royals,” said Warne.

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“I love the concept of The Hundred and it has grabbed my attention in the same way the IPL did. We built a team from scratch with a diverse range of players from different backgrounds and ages and I can’t wait to build the same mix of players to entertain the fans who come down to Lord’s for The Hundred,” he concluded.

While Warne was named coach of the men’s side, former Australia women’s team coach Lisa Keightley was appointed coach of the women’s side of the Lord’s in The Hundred.

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“It is an honour to be appointed as the first female coach for The Hundred and to be a part of a tournament that is set to showcase the best women’s players from around the world,” Keightley said about her appointment.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a coach in England and the prestige and opportunity of this role made it an easy decision for me to come back,” she concluded.