England captains Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight have been retained as London Spirit’s skippers for the postponed debut season of The Hundred.

The pair, who have both led the country to World Cup glory, were due to front the Lord’s based franchise in the inaugural men’s and women’s competitions this year and will now do so in 2021 following the coronavirus deferral.

London Spirit have also announced they are keeping hold of Dan Lawrence and Naomi Dattani, as teams continue the process of confirming their squads for next summer.

London Spirit will be based at Lord's.
London Spirit will be based at Lord’s (Steven Paston/PA)

Morgan said: “I am delighted to be retained as captain of London Spirit. We have the makings of a great squad and I’m looking forward to playing at the home of cricket in this exciting new format. I believe we will have a great blend of skills both in the squad and our coaching staff and I can’t wait to get going.”

Knight echoed those sentiments, adding: “It is a real honour to be retained as skipper for next year. We are beginning to build an exciting side and hopefully we can make a real impact on the pitch.

“While it was obviously disappointing that the competition wasn’t able to take place this year, The Hundred promises to be a real leap forward for our sport and I can’t wait to lead the side in 2021.”