THE HUNDRED: KNOW ALL ABOUT THE CRICKET NEWEST AND MOST EXCITING FORMAT

THE HUNDRED is a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men's and women's teams located in major cities across England and Wales. The tournament is the brainchild of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It will take place for the first time in 2021, after being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The format is invented to attract younger and more diverse crowds to the cricket stadiums, and the shorter format means each match lasts around 2.5 hours. The first edition of the tournament is scheduled to run from 21st July to 21st August 2021, featuring both men's and women's sides. Almost all the matches will take place as consecutive double-headers at the same venue on the same day.

Format

In total, there will be 32 matches in the tournament. Each team will play four matches at home and four matches away. It will include one match against every other team and a second match against the nearest regional rivals. Once the league phase is completed, the top three teams will then compete in the playoffs to decide the winner. The second and third-placed teams will meet in a semi-final, which will be played at the Oval. The winner of the semi-final will then meet the first-placed team in the final at Lord's, and compete to be the crowned champions.

Teams

1. Manchester Originals
2. Northern Superchargers
3. Birmingham Phoenix
4. Trent Rockets
5. Welsh Fire
6. London Spirit
7. Oval Invincibles
8. Southern Brave

The Hundred Format Rules 

1. Each team will play only 100 balls and the team that scores the most runs at the end of the match wins. 
2. A bowler can bowl a minimum of 5 or a maximum of 10 consecutive balls. Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per game. 
3. There will be a change of ends every 10 balls. 
4. A powerplay of 25-balls will be at the start of the innings for each team. Only two fielders are allowed outside of the 30-yard circle during the powerplay.
5. The bowling side can take a strategic timeout of up to two and a half minutes. The coach can walk out and discuss tactics with the players during the match. 
6. Each team will have a maximum of 15 players, out of whom a maximum of 3 can be overseas players. 
7. At least one England Test player will have to be signed by each of the eight men’s teams. Two of the 15 players will be from the domestic T20 competition i.e. the T20 Blast.
8. If a match ends in a tie, both teams will be rewarded one point each. If the game ends in a tie during the playoff matches, both teams will play a Super Five, similar to a Super Over in T20 cricket. 

Just like the T20, which was invented more than 15 years ago, this is a revolutionary approach from the ECB to bring more fans and commercialization into the game. How spectators and players will react to this new format, only time will tell.

Howzat will be hosting all the matches from both the men's and women's Hundred tournaments. You can get access to match predictions and the latest news on the Howzat blog. Download the app now, make your fantasy league team & start winning every day!