Yesterday, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) terminated the players’ contract for ‘The Hundred’, which has now been postponed for a year in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament will now be played in the summers of 2021.
However, many are still asking: What is The Hundred? What is it’s format? Here, we bring you an explainer on all these questions.
What is The Hundred ?
The Hundred is a new franchise cricket tournament announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2019. The tournament, which derives its name from its unique 100 ball a side format, was originally scheduled between 17 July and 15 August 2020.
The tournament will witness eight city-based women’s and men’s franchise compete over five weeks every English summer, beginning with the summers of 2021.
What is its format ?
The Hundred has a unique 100-ball a innings format, 20 balls less than the current T20 cricket played around the world. Initially each innings were proposed to consist of 15 traditional six-ball overs and a single 10-ball over to complete each innings.
But now, the tournament will have the following format:
- The matches in the tournament will have a total of 200 legal deliveries with 100 deliveries per innings.
- Each over will consist of 10 deliveries.
- A bowler will bowl either 5 or 10 consecutive balls but not more than 20 balls per game.
- Bowling ends will changed after every 10 balls.
- There will 25 ball power-play at the start of each innings, during which only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- Each fielding side will get a chance to call for a strategic timeout, similar to what is there in the IPL, for upto 150 seconds, during which a coach can walk out to the middle and discuss strategies with the players.
What is its Objective?
With each match 40 balls shorter than a T20, the action will be cut to around two and a half hours. Thus, the new format aims to make the game accessible to wider audience.
Furthermore, with the presence of Big Bash League (BBL), Indian Premier league (IPL) and such other T20 cricket leagues around the globe, ECB decided to create its own prototype to stand out from the rest.
Which are the 8 franchises?
The 8 city based franchise and their home grounds are:
| Franchise | Home Ground |
| Trent Rockets | Trent Bridge |
| Southern Brave | Ageas Bowl |
| Northern Superchargers | Emerald Headingly |
| Welsh Fire | Sophia Gardens |
| Oval Invincibles | Kia Oval |
| Manchester Originals | Emirates Old Trafford |
| London Spirit | Lord’s |
| Birmingham Phoenix | Edgbaston |
How are the players selected by each franchise?
The players for The Hundred are selected by a draft pick, which is not an auction like the Indian Premier League. First draft was held in October 2019, where each team was two picks from seven rounds.
The teams were given 100 seconds to make their choice in each round. At the end of seven rounds the end the teams finished with 15 players each with a maximum of three overseas stars.
How many players participated in The Hundred draft?
As many as 570 players from major cricketing nations were registered for the inaugural draft of The Hundred. However, no Indian player was registered for the inaugural draft.
Why no Indian players were registered for the draft?
No Indian players were registered for the inaugural draft because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow Indian players to participate in such overseas domestic franchise events.
What about ECB’s current domestic T20 tournament?
While the existing men’s Vitality blast will remain the sole domestic T20 competition in the men’s game and run earlier in the season, the women’s Kia Super League T20 will be disbanded.
Do let us know what you think of ECB’s new pet project? How will it impact cricket?
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