Fatima Sana makes history as first Pakistani woman in The Hundred 2026

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana will become the first Pakistani woman to compete in The Hundred after being chosen by Birmingham Phoenix as a wildcard selection.

Historic wildcard selection Fatima Sana is set to make cricket history by becoming the first Pakistani woman to participate in The Hundred when she joins Birmingham Phoenix as a wildcard pick. The 24-year-old all-rounder, who leads Pakistan’s women’s team, will feature in the 2026 edition of the tournament, which kicks off on 21 July. In February, there were indications that four Hundred franchises linked to the Indian Premier League were unlikely to sign Pakistan players, reflecting the IPL’s long-standing stance. This prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to formally remind all eight franchises of their obligations regarding anti-discrimination policies. ## Clarification on player nationality rules Following the ECB’s intervention, the eight franchises and the board issued a joint statement reinforcing that participants must not be excluded based on nationality. Fatima was one of two Pakistan women’s players, alongside spinner Sadia Iqbal, who remained unsigned after the original auction held in March. Notably, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed was selected by Sunrisers Leeds in the men’s auction. The Hundred also introduced a combined men’s and women’s trophy in a recent announcement. ## World Cup performance and squad change Fatima is currently participating in the Women’s T20 World Cup and delivered a standout performance against South Africa, scoring an unbeaten 55 and claiming bowling figures of 3-16 in a narrow two-wicket loss. Her addition to Birmingham Phoenix replaces Australia all-rounder Lucy Hamilton, who was withdrawn from the squad to manage her workload. Wildcard picks typically reward domestic players for strong county performances, though the mechanism is also used to finalize team rosters ahead of the tournament. A total of 32 male and female players have been named to fill the last two squad spots at each of the eight teams. ## Complete wildcard draft selections The wildcard draft for The Hundred 2027 included the following players: Welsh Fire added Niamh Holland, Georgia Davis, Jordan Clark, and Dillon Pennington; Birmingham Phoenix brought in Mary Taylor, Fatima Sana, Tom Helm, and Sean Dickson; London Spirit secured Trudy Johnson, Olivia Barnes, Henry Crocombe, and Kiran Carlson. Trent Rockets selected Amu Surenkumar, Eve Jones, Ben Raine, and Ben Sanderson, while Manchester Super Giants picked Mia Rogers, Beth Langston, James Sales, and Adam Finch. ## Additional wildcard selections MI London added Kate Coppack, Francesca Sweet, Eddie Jack, and Seb Morgan, with Southern Brave completing their squad with Naomi Dattani, Katherine Fraser, Manny Lumsden, and Saif Zaib. Sunrisers Leeds finalized their lineup with Darcey Carter, Sophia Turner, Matty Revis, and Charlie Allison. Earlier in the year, a rule change was announced allowing the four Hundred teams connected to the IPL to include Pakistan players, reversing their previous exclusion policy.