Somerset's Tom Banton intends to adopt the same "no fear" approach at the crease in the inaugural edition of The Hundred to the one that has marked him out as one of England's most promising white-ball batsmen.

Banton could become one of the poster boys for the England and Wales Cricket Board's brainchild event this summer, having captured the imagination with some heady displays in various Twenty20 competitions around the world.

He has been retained by Welsh Fire, as have two other England internationals in Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett, amid a flurry of activity as the men's and women's squads began to take shape.

Banton told the PA news agency: "I guess the no fear is a big thing for me. It's come into my game a lot in the last 18 months and it's probably been why I've been successful.

"It's going to be exciting. I'm not sure how you go about it, to be honest, 100 balls - do you go more aggressive? I'm probably going to take it as it comes and still be as aggressive."

Banton is on the fringes of both of England's limited-overs sides but he will not put any extra pressure on himself to play a starring role in the 100-ball event in an effort to push his claims at international level.

He added: "I'm not trying to think too much about international cricket.

"The team is so strong at the moment, I'm just going to try to enjoy the tournament as much as possible, score as many runs as I can and try and win as many games as I can for the Fire.

"I'm not going to look too far ahead, if you do well then it takes care of itself."

Bairstow, fresh from a key role in England's Test victory in Sri Lanka, has stayed with Welsh Fire and is understood to have picked up one of their top-tier £100,000 wage slots.

He was drafted initially as a contracted Test player but has since lost his red-ball deal.

Australian duo Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc were handed the highest-paying contracts for the postponed 2020 edition though it is not yet certain whether they will be made available for this summer's revised launch.

"I'm delighted to be staying at Welsh Fire and I'm really looking forward to representing the team this summer," said Bairstow.

"Ben (Duckett) and Tom (Banton) are both excellent players and we've got the makings of a really strong line-up."

World Cup-winning opener Jason Roy and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine have been retained by Oval Invincibles, while London Spirit have tied down former Pakistan seamer Mohammad Amir and Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi.

The Oval-based franchise have bolstered their women's side with the signing of South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, whose Proteas team-mates Lizelle Lee and Mignon Du Preez are heading to Manchester Originals.

The remaining men's players to be retained will be confirmed on deadline day on February 4 but the women's squads will continue to be announced over the course of the next few months ahead of a tournament that was supposed to launch in 2020 but was postponed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Signings announced - Birmingham Phoenix: Emily Arlott, Kirstie Gordon, Tom Helm, Benny Howell, Phoebe Franklin, Abtaha Maqsood.

London Spirit: Mohammad Amir, Amara Carr, Aylish Cranstone, Jade Dernbach, Danielle Gibson, Mohammad Nabi, Luis Reece, Adam Rossington, Susie Rowe, Chloe Tryon.

Manchester Originals: Joe Clarke, Danielle Collins, Mignon Du Preez, Alice Dyson, Cordelia Griffith, Hannah Jones, Lizelle Lee, Phil Salt.

Northern Superchargers: Helen Fenby, Bess Heath, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth.

Oval Invincibles: Megan Belt, Alex Blake, Eva Gray, Marizanne Kapp, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, Rhianna Southby, Nathan Sowter.

Southern Brave: Lauren Bell, Alex Davies, Sonia Odedra, Max Waller.

Trent Rockets: Kathryn Bryce, Matthew Carter, Abbey Freeborn, Dawid Malan, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney.

Welsh Fire: Jonathan Bairstow, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Hennessy, Lauren Filer, Sophie Luff, Natasha Wraith.