The Hundred 2023: London Spirit preview

The Spirit followed up a poor debut season with a solid outing in the Hundred 2022, finishing third but falling short in the Eliminator. 

They have been rocked by the withdrawals of Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, though they have brought in some experienced replacements.

London Spirit 2022 Hundred performance

It was a strong improvement for the Lord's-based side in 2022, rising from bottom place in 2021 to finishing third. 

They ran into a strong Manchester Originals team in the Eliminator, losing by five wickets with 11 balls remaining.

It was largely a tournament of contributions, particularly with the bat. No batter scored more than 200 runs, with Adam Rossington top-scoring with 164 in nine innings. There were, though, a number of players who likely would have breached 200 had they played more.

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Australian international Ben McDermott struck 157 innings in five innings, Zak Crawley scored 131 in five matches and Glenn Maxwell scored 116 in four visits to the crease. Ravi Bopara scored 107 runs in four innings at a scorching strike rate of 184.5.

Kieron Pollard struck 113 in five innings at a strike rate of 166.2 and was dismissed just once. Dan Lawrence, who will captain the team this season, will expect to improve on his 129 runs scored in seven innings with a strike rate of 125.2.

Jordan Thompson was the star with the ball for the Spirit, taking a joint competition best of 14 wickets. Mason Crane wasn't far behind, snaring 12 victims with his leg-spin. Liam Dawson was tidy as ever, taking nine wickets in as many matches with an economy of 7.41.

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Lawrence, a part-time leggie, had reasonable success as he took five wickets in 59 deliveries, with an economy of 7.72. Australian seamer Nathan Ellis, who has been impressive in the t20 circuit in the last year or so, was not overly prolific but bowled well at crucial times.

Changes to the London Spirit squad in the 2023 Hundred draft

It was a fairly quiet 2023 Hundred draft for the Spirit, though they did bring in some good talent. Fast bowler Olly Stone, signed from Birmingham Phoenix, would have provided a tantalising option alongside Ellis and fellow England pacer Mark Wood. 

Unfortunately, Stone has been ruled out of the Hundred 2023 on the eve of the tournament, replaced by Surrey's Dan Worrall. Michael Pepper, who has been impressive for Essex in back-to-back Blast campaigns, was also signed.

Marsh looked to be a great pickup to go alongside fellow Aussies Ellis and Maxwell, but he has since been replaced by New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, who impressed for Lancashire in the 2023 t20 Blast. Experienced Matthew Wade was brought in for Maxwell.

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In terms of 2023 Hundred wildcard picks, Matt Critchley and Daniel Bell-Drummond were brought in. Bell-Drummond had a brilliant 2023 Blast with Kent, scoring over 600 runs and will provide a strong option at the top of the order, having played for the Spirit previously.

Critchley performed well for Essex and has demonstrated top all-round ability with his leg-spin and lower middle order hitting.

How the London Spirit 2023 Hundred squad is shaping up

Potential starting XI: Zak Crawley, Adam Rossington, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Wade, Daryl Mitchell, Ravi Bopara, Jordan Thompson, Liam Dawson, Mark Wood, Nathan Ellis, Mason Crane

London Spirit look to have a strong squad with plenty of depth and experience. Bell-Drummond for instance looks to have a tricky path into the top order, with Crawley and Rossington seemingly the first option.

Again, with the overseas players likely to play in the middle order, Pepper is likely to provide a good depth option. Bopara looks to be a strong option alongside Mitchell and Wade, given he is coming off a strong Blast campaign with Sussex.

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Last year's top wicket-taker Thompson will likely battle out a spot with Critchley at number seven, with both offering good late order batting with different options with the ball.

Crane, another top performer with the ball from last year, may have found it tricky to find a place given the presence of the pace trio of Stone, Wood and Ellis. However, Crane's chances have now been boosted significantly following the withdrawal of Stone.

That may well also be a blessing for Thompson, who could well force himself ahead of Critchley should Crane be the one to replace Stone in the team.