Shane Warne lands London Hundred coaching role

London, Aug 9: Shane Warne has been appointed head coach of the Lord's-based side for the inaugural season of The Hundred.

The 49-year-old former Australia spinner will take charge of the team from London for the new 100-ball format, eight-team competition, which starts next July.

Former Australia women's coach Lisa Keightley will take charge of the side that will play their home games at Lord's in the women's event.

The names of the teams in the competition have yet to be officially announced.

Warne said: "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.

I’m very honoured & grateful to be given this opportunity from the @HomeOfCricket and the @ECB_cricket !!! I’m excited about the hundred competition next year & looking forward to putting a great squad together, thankyou for all the support 👋👋👋 https://t.co/iN6EKgtZko

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 9, 2019

"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."

Sanjay Patel, managing director of The Hundred, said: "It's great to announce the first of our women's head coaches and to welcome two legends of the game to the competition.

"Having two stars like Shane and Lisa involved is another big step forward for The Hundred and shows the excitement that the competition is generating across the world game."