Georgia Voll Selected as the First Pick by Birmingham

Georgia Voll Selected as the First Pick by Birmingham Phoenix in Women’s Hundred Draft

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Georgia Voll has secured a deal with Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred draft, marking her tournament debut after top players were retained. The young Australian opener impressed with scores of 55 and 99 not out recently. Notably, Alyssa Healy went unclaimed in the draft, while Voll joins Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt in Phoenix’s overseas lineup. Fast bowler Issy Wong moved to London Spirit for £16,000 after struggling with form. Other notable signings include Sophie Devine to Southern Brave and Deandra Dottin returning to Manchester Originals. A total of 110 overseas and 120 domestic players entered the draft for 29 spots.

Georgia Voll has concluded an impressive week by landing a lucrative contract with Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred draft.

The young Australian opener Voll is set to make her tournament debut after the Oval Invincibles, Welsh Fire, and London Spirit exercised their right-to-match to block Birmingham’s attempts to acquire Paige Scholfield, Sophia Dunkley, and Heather Knight, respectively. All four players were retained within the top women’s salary tier of £65,000.

Voll made a notable international debut in December, stepping in for Alyssa Healy during Australia’s home series against India. In just the past week, she scored 55 and an unbeaten 99 as a late addition to the WPL team UP Warriorz following Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu’s call for international duty.

Healy, the Australian captain struggling with foot and knee injuries since late last year, was unable to participate in the WPL to focus on her recovery and went unselected after entering the draft with a reserve price of £50,000.

Voll is one of three Australians in Phoenix’s overseas lineup, alongside retained allrounder Ellyse Perry and bowler Megan Schutt, who was signed directly before the draft.

Issy Wong, a fast bowler departing Birmingham for London Spirit, has faced challenges since making her international debut at age 20 in 2022. She represented Phoenix, her home franchise, during the first four tournament editions but was dropped in 2023 due to issues with her run-up, managing only five appearances that year and just four the previous year while taking one wicket in each season.

Despite not playing in the 2023 Ashes as she struggled with form, Wong was still considered a poster girl for the series. Her last of 17 appearances for England came during the Ireland tour last September, which featured many fringe players while the senior squad prepared for a disappointing T20 World Cup. Spirit acquired Wong for £16,000, one of the lowest pricing tiers in the women’s competition.

Southern Brave, the reigning champions of 2023 and last year’s last-place finishers, used their first draft pick at £36,000 to sign Sophie Devine, who opted out of this year’s WPL and New Zealand’s ongoing home series against Sri Lanka to prioritize her well-being. Devine’s last competitive match was on January 24 for Wellington in the Women’s Super Smash. Joining her at Southern Brave will be South African allrounder Chloe Tryon, who rejoined the franchise for £20,000.

West Indies superstar Deandra Dottin will return to Manchester Originals on a £50,000 contract, having played with the team in 2022 and 2023 after an initial year with London Spirit in 2021. Young wicketkeeper-batter Seren Smale joins her from Birmingham Phoenix for £36,000.

Scholfield’s substantial deal to remain at Oval Invincibles could indicate a positive shift after her international journey stalled shortly after it started. She was selected for England’s tour of South Africa late last year but returned home without participating due to an ankle injury sustained in training.

After being called up to reinforce England’s middle order following her international debut on the Ireland tour, Scholfield scored 190 runs in the Hundred last year, with a strike rate of 137.68, and a top score of 71 off 40 balls. Additionally, she was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the domestic T20 league with 259 runs at an average of 43.16 and a strike rate of 140.00.

The overseas squad for Invincibles, including Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, and Amanda-Jade Wellington, was already finalized ahead of the draft. Leaving the Oval side after four seasons is off-spinning allrounder Mady Villiers, who was drafted by Southern Brave for £16,000.

After spending two seasons each with Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix, legspinner Katie Levick is heading to Welsh Fire after being picked in the £12,500 bracket.

Richa Ghosh, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter, went undrafted after entering the draft with a reserve price of £65,000.

In total, 110 overseas and 120 domestic players entered the women’s draft for 29 available spots, which includes four overseas positions and 25 for domestic players.

Each of the eight teams has two additional spots to fill with wildcards closer to the competition’s start on August 5, with these places falling into the lowest salary category of £10,000.

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