Rashid Khan is set to play in the first season of The Hundred, alongside the former England batsman Alex Hales, after both were retained in Trent Rockets' men's squad for next summer's inaugural event.

Rashid, the Afghanistan legspinner, was the very first pick in last year's draft for the Hundred, but the tournament had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. He has since played an integral role in Sunrisers Hyderabad's progression to the IPL play-offs, with 19 wickets at 15.57, and an economy rate of less than a run a ball.

"It was a very proud moment for me and for my country to be the first man picked in The Hundred," Rashid said. "As soon as I heard about The Hundred I was super excited to play and I am very pleased that I have been able to stay at Trent Rockets."

His Rockets' team-mate Hales has been out of favour with England since his expulsion from last year's World Cup squad due to two failed tests for recreational drugs, but he enhanced his reputation as one of the world's leading white-ball batsmen with a stellar winter for Sydney Thunder and Karachi Kings in 2019-20, and went on to play a role in Nottinghamshire's T20 Blast victory at Edgbaston last month.

Hales will be reunited with his England team-mate Joe Root when the competition gets underway, after Root was retained by Trent Rockets last month.

"Alex is a great guy," Rashid said. "He's one of the strongest hitters of the ball in the world so I'm excited to be in the same team as him. And Joe is a classic batsman - one of the very best in the modern era. I can't wait to play with him. It's a great opportunity for me to learn from his knowledge, experience and understanding of the game."

Hales added: "Trent Bridge is a fantastic place to play cricket and I'm delighted to be playing for Trent Rockets on my home turf. Last year we assembled a really well-balanced side and I'm hoping we can do the same for 2021."

Katherine Brunt, the England allrounder, has also been retained in the Rockets' women's squad, alongside her Melbourne Stars' team-mate, the Australian Elyse Villani. Brunt will team up with her fiancée and England team-mate Nat Sciver, who was retained by the team last month.

"The women's game is unrecognisable from where it was ten years ago," Brunt said. "I never thought I'd see over 87,000 people attend the Women's T20 World Cup final, but that's exactly what we got earlier this year, and it was incredible for the women's game.

"Tournaments like The Hundred are an awesome way for us to keep that interest up and showcase our skills. I feel fortunate to still play cricket at the standard I want to play at and be a part of a brand-new competition."

Villani added: "It was a very easy decision to re-sign for Trent Rockets. It's awesome to reconnect with Nat and Kat - over the years playing together you get to know them as people and develop friendships and connections and they're two of the best people to play in a cricket team with.

"As a player, it's amazing to be able to challenge yourself against the best, and it makes you a better player. When you've got the best talent from around the world in a competition it almost sells itself."