The ECB have decided to delay the upcoming draft for the second edition of The Hundred by a week in order to avoid a clash with Shane Warne 's state funeral.
Warne, who took 708 Test wickets in his illustrious career, passed away on March 4 after suffering a heart attack in his villa on the island of Koh Samui. The legendary spinner was head coach of London Spirit in the inaugural edition of The Hundred last year and was set to return for the second season.
A state funeral for Warne is set to take place on March 30 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Up to 50,000 free tickets have been made available for mourners in a public ballot.
The Hundred's draft was originally scheduled to take place on March 29, with picks being announced on March 30. However, due to a clash with Warne's state funeral, the draft has been delayed until April 4, with picks revealed the following day.
A statement read: "The men's picks from The Hundred Draft and new women's signings will now be announced on Tuesday 5 April, with the next Priority Access window opening on the same date. This is a week later than previously advertised due to Shane Warne state funeral taking place on Wednesday 30 March.
"Shane was a much loved part of The Hundred, and played an important role in launching the competition as Head Coach of London Spirit's men's team. He will be hugely missed by everyone involved in the competition."
Spirit will have the first pick this year, having finished bottom in last year's tournament with only one victory. The franchise are yet to appoint a replacement for Warne, but assistant coaches David Ripley and Dimitri Mascarenhas are said to be under consideration.
Spirit's general manager Fraser Stewart paid tribute to Warne following his untimely death, calling him a "true icon" and describing him as "absolutely box-office". Stewart said: "London Spirit is absolutely devastated to learn of Shane Warne’s passing.
"One of the all-time greats of the game, Shane was somebody whose cricketing passion rubbed off on everyone he came into contact with. Whether on the pitch, coaching or commentating, he was absolutely box-office and he will be greatly missed.
"Beyond everything he achieved on and off the pitch, it started with a young kid with an incredible talent for leg spin who changed the way we view our sport forever and inspired countless people to fall in love with cricket.
"He was a true icon and the entire game is poorer for today’s devastating news. All of our thoughts are with his children Jackson, Summer and Brooke, his family and friends."
Last month, Spirit announced that they had retained a total of ten players for the upcoming season, including centrally-contracted England stars Zak Crawley and Mark Wood and Australia's Glenn Maxwell. England's limited overs captain Eoin Morgan has also stayed with the franchise, along with Mason Crane, Dan Lawrence, Adam Rossington, Ravi Bopara, Blake Cullen and Brad Wheal.
