Matthew Short was the only Australian purchased at Thursday’s auction for the Men’s Hundred as uncapped spinner James Coles pocketed an eye-watering sum following a bidding war.
Short, who was dropped from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad on the eve of the tournament, was snapped up the Welsh Fire for £75,000 (AU$141,000), while compatriots Jason Behrendorff, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis went unsold.
The Victorian joins six other Australians that were pre-signed ahead of the inaugural men’s auction for the British competition — Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Owen, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Nathan Ellis.
The previous day, Beth Mooney headlined a group of seven Australians that were signed during the Women’s Hundred Auction, earning a £210,000 (AU$394,000) payday.
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Elsewhere, leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed was snapped up by Sunrisers Leeds – a Hundred franchise with links to the Indian Premier League – despite fears Pakistani players would be frozen out due to political tensions.
The England and Wales Cricket Board last month issued a statement saying all eight of the city-based franchises in the 100-ball-a-side competition were committed to selection based solely on performances.
A long-standing political stand-off between India and Pakistan mean the two nations only play each other in major global cricket events. Cricketers from Pakistan have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 because of diplomatic tensions.
The only two Pakistan players in Wednesday’s women’s auction, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, went unsold.
Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi withdrew from the men’s sale and fellow paceman Haris Rauf failed to attract an offer when put up for his reserve price of £100,000 (AU$188,000) at the auction in London on Thursday.
But Sunrisers bought 27-year-old Ahmed for £190,000 (AU$358,000), while fellow Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq, 28, was snapped up by Birmingham Phoenix for £140,000 ($264,000).
Sunrisers are owned in full by the group behind IPL outfit Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the London Spirit paid £390,000 (AU$735,000) for uncapped English all-rounder Coles, the highest-earning player from the men’s auction, after sparking a bidding war between five franchises.
In 2020, Coles became Sussex’s youngest player after making his first-class debut aged 16, represented England at the Under-19 World Cup a couple of years later.
During last season’s County Championship, the 21-year-old accumulated 1032 runs at 46.90 and took 20 wickets at 33.25, while he’s tipped to make his international debut in the coming 12 months.
He only received £31,000 (AU$58,000) from the Southern Brave in last year’s Hundred, but his stocks have risen since an impressive campaign for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.
Elsewhere, the Welsh Fire spent a combined £540,000 (AU$1.01 million) on batter Jordan Cox and former England captain Joe Root.
The Hundred is staging the first auction of its kind in a major British sport after previously using a draft system to select players.
Stakes in the eight franchises were sold last year to private investors, raising huge sums for cricket in England and Wales.
Four of the franchises – MI London, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave – are at least part-owned by companies that control IPL teams.
The 2026 edition of the Hundred, featuring men’s and women’s competitions, starts on July 21 and runs for four weeks.
Highest-paid players in the Men’s Hundred Auction
James Coles (London Spirit) – £390,000
Jordan Cox (Welsh Fire) – £300,000
Tom Curran (MI London) – £260,000
Adil Rashid (Southern Brave) – £250,000
Joe Root (Welsh Fire) – £240,000
Scott Currie (Birmingham Phoenix) – £210,000
Dan Lawrence (Sunrisers Leeds) – £210,000
Aiden Markram (Manchester Super Giants) – £200,000
James Vince (MI London) – £190,000
Abrar Ahmed (Sunrisers Leeds) – £190,000
Zak Crawley (Sunrisers Leeds) – £180,000
Jonny Bairstow (London Spirit) – £160,000
Australians in the Men’s Hundred
Birmingham Phoenix – Mitchell Owen £130,000 (AU$244,000)
London Spirit – Adam Zampa £190,000 (AU$357,000)
Southern Brave – Marcus Stoinis £150,000 (AU$282,000)
Sunrisers Leeds – Mitch Marsh £200,000 (AU$376,000)
Trent Rockets – Tim David £350,000 (AU$658,000)
Welsh Fire – Matt Short £75,000 (AU$141,000)
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