Warner pulls out of 'Hundred' but not due to COVID-19: Report

Perth: Star Australian opener David Warner has reportedly decided to pull out of England Cricket Board’s ‘The Hundred’ league as it is clashing with national team’s limited-overs series against Zimbabwe.

According to the Australian website ‘WAtoday’, Warner’s manager James Erskine said that the decision has got nothing to do with the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a global lock-down of cricketing activities.

“David Warner has pulled out of the Hundred in what could be the first of multiple withdrawals from England’s new franchise league by international players as the coronavirus pandemic grips world sport,” the website reported.

Warner at a fee of GBP 125,000 was the highest-paid player for the 100-ball-a-side spectacle which was set to be held from July 17 to August 15.

“His decision to withdraw from the competition was unrelated to the COVID-19 outbreak, his manager James Erskine said as he confirmed the move on Friday,”the report further stated.

Erskine on Thursday had said that Warner will be playing IPL if the COVID-19 pandemic is under control and the league gets rolling after April 15, the time till which the league has been suspended.