The Hundred was a tournament that, through its inception, was much maligned. In a domestic calendar that already contains a T20 championship, Test championship, and two 50 over competitions, many thought there simply wasn’t enough space for another format to be squeezed into the calendar.
Initially due to be launched in 2020 but delayed because of the COVID pandemic, the tournament finally kicked off in 2021. The Hundred was English cricket’s answer to the many successful franchise tournaments held all over the world. With the aim of attracting some of the very best players in the world, the Hundred conducted a draft for both the men’s and women’s games and saw the birth of eight new franchises that covered the length and breadth of England and Wales.
The tournament sparked a series of new rules – some of which have been adopted by other formats:
• The game consists of two innings, with 100 balls being bowled per innings
• Bowlers can only bowl 20 deliveries and can do in bursts of 5 or 10 balls
• Fielders change ends after 10 deliveries
• Strict time limits are in play during overs, and if a time limit is exceeded, the fielding team are penalized by having to place another man inside the circle
• A coach has the option of a timeout, which provides them with an opportunity to go and talk to their players out in the middle.
As well as some unique rules, The Hundred launched a series of firsts. It was the first tournament in well over a decade that saw games broadcast on free-to-air television, attracting a new audience to the game, it also marked the first time that a major cricket tournament in England was kicked off by a woman’s match with the game between the Manchester Originals and the Oval Invincibles attracting a TV audience of 1.6 million and a crowd of 17,000 marking it the most attended game in women’s history.
The tournament succeeded in creating a fantastic family atmosphere, with over 90% of tickets being sold through the entirety of the competition and hopes are high that the 2022 version can eclipse it.
With the pandemic hopefully being a thing of the past, the tournament organizers are hopeful that this year stars from India and Australia may compete, adding to the quality of the event. In the hope that even more history will be made, Sky has pledged that for the 2022 tournament, every match will be shown on the channel. The tournament is due to start on Wednesday the 3rd of August, with defending men’s champions the Southern Brave taking on the Welsh Fire at the Ageas Bowl. The women’s event will start a week later, on the 11th. Each day until the final, a women’s match and men’s match will be played, giving equal prominence to both events. The finals will be held on the 3rd of September, with the showpiece finale being held at Lords.
