The Hundred – What You Need To Know
The Hundred is an exciting and modern cricket tournament that takes place annually in the United Kingdom. It’s a big money competition where eight clubs compete against each other for top honours. As the name suggests, this is a format where each team faces one hundred balls, with big crowds in attendance for the majority of games.
100-ball cricket is not dissimilar to Twenty20 cricket, with a change of ends taking place after ten balls have been bowled. Bowlers have the option to either have five balls or ten balls at a time, with each bowler being able to deliver a maximum of twenty balls during a particular innings and there are a lot of tactics involved.
Furthermore, despite the fast-paced nature of every Hundred match, there is always the opportunity for a bowling team to have a two-and-a-half minute time out, with each innings starting with a powerplay that lasts 25 balls before it goes into normal play.
During the first 25 balls that constitutes the powerplay, there are only two fielders that are allowed outside the initial 30-yard circle and that means that batting teams can try to take advantage by getting runs on the road before the rule changes from ball 26.
The Format
The Hundred season tends to span a time period of one month, with the matches taking place on a daily basis in a round robin format. There are 56 group matches that take place as part of the overall group stage, with 32 matches in the men’s tournament and 24 matches in the women’s.
Each men’s team will play four home matches and four away matches, with the franchises clashing with every other side in the competiton and also getting a bonus encounter against one of the regional rivals.
Once the group games have been fulfilled, then the top three go to finals day to compete for the grand prize. The team that finished top of the overall standings will automatically go through to the final, with the second and third-placed sides battling it out for the honour of meeting them in a grand showdown.
The Hundred matches are always scheduled to take place around the school summer holidays in an attempt to drum up lots of interest and it is often the case that a men and ladies fixture will be identical when it comes to each day of proceedings.
The Draft
When it comes to The Hundred, this is a competition where a draft system is deployed. This is not unlike the NFL and it means that the eight franchises involved can bid on various players that are available to acquire for the coming season.
There is a squad of fifteen players that make up each of the men’s teams. From that squad of fifteen, each team will include one England player who has a central contract. The remainder of the players will be drafted and each side gets to have at least three overseas players.
After the first stage of England player allocation and a Player Retention Window, we then move to the next stage which is known as The Hundred Draft. Selections take place in a draw order when it comes to the eight teams that are involved. The draw order is determined by the previous year’s standings.
Each team must bid for players that fill their various salary bands that are in place. There is a reserve price for every Draft player on the list and that means that clubs need to pay this minimum amount to secure the player’s service in question.
The Hundred Teams
Manchester Originals
Manchester plays their home matches at the iconic Old Trafford cricket ground, with the team having been founded in 2019. They represent the county of Lancashire and look set to be one of the leading outfits in this competition. Jos Buttler was an early captain of the team, with Simon Katich a coach of the men’s team for the first few campaigns. They were runners-up in the second edition of The Hundred.
Northern Superchargers
The Northern Superchargers finished fifth in the 2021 version of The Hundred, with this team being based in Leeds. The club were set up to not only represent the county of Yorkshire but also the North East. The home ground is Headingley and we’ve seen David Willey among the early captains.
Birmingham Phoenix
The Birmingham Phoenix were the runners-up when it came to the 2021 Hundred, with this team plying their trade at Edgbaston. When the first Hundred draft was made in 2019, it was Chris Woakes who was the headline men’s draftee, Moeen Ali the first captain of the team and they’ll always be competitive.
Trent Rockets
As the name suggests, the Rockets are a Nottingham-based Hundred team who play at Trent Bridge. They finished third during their first ever season in the 2021 campaign and then became the second ever winners of The Hundred in 2022, with Lewis Gregory captaining the men’s team over the first two seasons. Alex Hales, Joe Root and Dawid Malan are others who are on the roster.
Welsh Fire
Their home ground is the Sofia Gardens and team represents the country of Wales when it comes to competing in the Hundred. They have unfortunately been the least successful team in the tournament so far, finishing seventh in the first running of this tournament and then eight (last) in the second.
London Spirit
There are several Hundred cricket teams stemming from the English captain and that includes London Spirit. Playing their home games at Lord’s, they struggled during their inaugural season in 2021 although the experienced Eoin Morgan will probably steer them to a loftier position as captain. In 2022, this did happen, as they finished 3rd in the league table.
Oval Invincibles
Oval Invincibles fly the flag for Surrey and Kent, two proud southern cricket counties. They landed a fourth placed finish when it came to the 2021 The Hundred and 5th placed finish in the 2022 The Hundred. Sam Billings has captained the men’s side over the first two seasons.
Southern Brave
Southern Brave got the honour of being the first ever Hundred champions, with this team representing Hampshire and Sussex. They play their matches at The Rose Bowl, with the women’s team having been runners-up in 2021 and 2022The Birmingham Phoenix were the runners-up when it came to the 2021 Hundred, with this team plying their trade at Edgbaston. When the first Hundred draft was made in 2019, it was Chris Woakes who was the headline men’s draftee, Moeen Ali the first captain of the team and they’ll always be competitive.
Trent Rockets
As the name suggests, the Rockets are a Nottingham-based Hundred team who play at Trent Bridge. They finished third during their first ever season in the 2021 campaign, with Lewis Gregory one of the first captains of the team. Alex Hales, Joe Root and Dawid Malan are others who are on the roster.
Welsh Fire
Jonny Bairstow was the original captain of a team that represents the country of Wales when it comes to competing in the cricket Hundred. With a home ground of Sophia Gardens, they finished seventh in the first running of this tournament.
London SpiritThere are several Hundred cricket teams stemming from the English captain and that includes London Spirit. Playing their home games at Lord’s, they struggled during their inaugural season in 2021 although the experienced Eoin Morgan will probably steer them to a loftier position as captain.
Oval Invincibles
Oval Invincibles fly the flag for Surrey and Kent, two proud southern cricket counties. They landed a fourth placed finish when it came to the 2021 The Hundred, with Sam Billings the first captain of the men’s team.
Southern Brave
Southern Brave got the honour of being the first ever Hundred champions, with this team representing Hampshire and Sussex. They play their matches at The Rose Bowl, with the women’s team having been runners-up in 2021.
Records
As The Hundred only began in 2021, we are relatively low on the ground when it comes to cricket records and statistics. However, here are some of the 2021 and 2022 The Hundred stats:
Most Runs in a Season
377 – Dawid Malan – Trent Rockets – 2022
353 – Philip Salt – Manchester Originals – 2022
348 – Liam Livingstone – Birmingham Phoenix – 2021
299 – Adam Lyth – Northern Super Chargers – 2022
261 – Will Jacks – Oval Invincibles – 2022
Most Wickets in a Season
14 – Paul Walter – Manchester Originals – 2022
14 – Tom Helm – Birmingham Phoenix – 2022
13 – Jordan Thompson – London Spirit – 2022
13 – Joshua Little – Manchester Originals – 2022
13 – Kane Richardson – Birmingham Phoenix – 2022
Highest Individual Score
108* – Will Jacks – Oval Invincibles – 2022
101* – Will Smeed – Birmingham Phoenix – 2022
98* – Dawid Malan – Trent Rockets – 2022
92* – Liam Livingstone – Birmingham Phoenix – 2021
81* – David Willey – Northern Super Chargers – 2021
Best Bowling Figures
5/13 – Joshua Little – Manchester Originals – 2022
5/20 – Marchant de Lange – Trent Rockets – 2021
5/25 – Imran Tahir – Birmingham Phoenix – 2021
5/25 – Henry Brookes – Birmingham Phoenix – 2022
4/8 – Sean Abbott – Manchester Originals – 2022
