The first ever auction for The Hundred, Welsh Fire made waves with big signs of Joe Root, Sophie Devine, and Jordan Cox.

Root, a former England captain, World Cup winner, and greatest batter of his generation, was the first player on the auction block in the men’s edition, with Welsh Fire beating Sunrisers Leeds at the last to sign him for £240,000.

The big bidding did not stop there, as a few minutes later Essex and England power hitter Jordan Cox became most expensive player at the auction so far, fetching £300,000 after a six-way bidding war.

The Fire, co-owned by Glamorgan Cricket and Sanjay Govil – owner of Major League Cricket franchise Washington Freedom – were not afraid to spend big on players they coveted, beating a number of other teams for the signature of Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who will be playing at Sophia Gardens this summer for £80,000.

In the earlier women’s auction, the Fire secured the talents of New Zealand legend Sophie Devine for a joint-record fee of £210,000, while also picking up England international bowler Em Arlott for £110,000.

Alongside pre-signed overseas players Georgia Voll and Georgia Wareham, Devine and Heather Graham make up the Fire’s overseas quartet, while Marco Jansen, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson and Matthew Short are the men’s equivalent.

Ferguson and Ravindra were recently part of the New Zealand team that beat Jansen’s South Africa in the World T20 semi-final, before falling at the final hurdle against India.

Ferguson fetched £75,000, while Ravindra was a pre-signing for £140,000.

Glamorgan duo Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe will stay in Wales for The Hundred, picked up for the relatively cheap prices of £37,500 and £70,000 for players of their potential.

Fire also added bowlers Sam Cook, Jafer Chohan, and Tom Aspinwall for £70,000, £35,000, and £31,000, respectively.

“It is definitely a balance,” Welsh Fire head coach Mike Hussey said on ‘balancing’ the squad during the auction. “The plans are changing all the time, so we are trying to be nimble. We are quite lucky with our squad.

“We have got balance, and we can move pieces around. We definitely have a few players in mind who we are keen to get hold of. I guess balancing how much money you have spent and what you have got left.”

“There is still a chance that they can get picked up in this second round,” Hussey added on players who have not been signed during the auction:

“Sometimes, things are happening quickly. Even with us, plans have not changed, but they have been moving all the time.

“We still need a little bit, but still need another middle order batter, two overseas slots to fill and a bit of bowling to back things up as well.

“We will be pretty active as the rest of the day goes on.”

Welsh Fire Squads

Women’s

Sophie Devine, £210,000 (overseas)

Freya Kemp, £120,000

Em Arlott, £110,000

Georgia Wareham, £100,000 (overseas)

Georgia Voll, £80,000 (overseas)

Ella McCaughan, £30,000

Heather Graham, £27,500 (overseas)

Sarah Bryce, £25,000

Abi Norgrove, £21,000

Fi Morris, £20,000

Sophia Smale, £20,000

Grace Thompson, £20,000

Rhianna Southby, £20,000

Grace Potts, £15,000

Men’s

Phil Salt, £450,000

Jordan Cox, £300,000

Marco Jansen, £250,000 (overseas)

Joe Root, £240,000

Rachin Ravindra, £140,000 (overseas)

Chris Woakes, £110,000

Tom Kohler-Cadmore, £80,000

Lockie Ferguson, £75,000 (overseas)

Matthew Short, £75,000 (overseas)

Asa Tribe, £70,000

Sam Cook, £70,000

Ben Kellaway, £37,500

Jafer Chohan, £35,000

Tom Aspinwall, £31,000

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