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The Hundred 2020 is the title of a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament in England and Wales run by the ECB, commencing in July 2020.
The league will consist of eight city-based franchise teams, each of which will field both a men’s and women’s team.
Origins
Hundred 2020 cricket was first proposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September 2016, following discussions between the 18 first-class counties, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with a vote of 16–3 in favour of the format.
On 26 April 2017, 38 members of the ECB voted to approve the proposal of a city-based competition. Each county is guaranteed at least £1.3m per year.
Essex, Middlesex and Kent were those who did not vote in favour. Thirty-eight votes was above the threshold of 31 which was required for approval. Essex had aired concerns over the how the reduced number of sides would focus in the competition on certain areas of the country, Middlesex would not have benefited from the use of Lord’s, because, unlike other counties, the club does not own its home ground, and Kent chose not to vote.
Hundred 2020 Format
Originally envisioned as a Twenty20 tournament, concerns over the relevance of the current competition structure and the opportunity to attract new fans prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to propose a shortened format.
On 19 April 2018, the ECB announced the creation of 100-ball cricket, in which there would be 15 traditional six-ball overs and a final 10-ball over. Other mooted changes include removing the LBW law.
The plan drew significant opposition but was supported by England captain Joe Root. On 21 February 2019, the ECB confirmed revised playing conditions in which there would be ten 10-ball overs with bowlers delivering five or 10 consecutive balls.
One-hundred-ball cricket is a form of limited overs cricket, played by two teams each playing a single innings made up of 100 balls.
The format of the game is:
- 100 balls per innings
- A change of ends after 10 balls
- Bowlers deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls
- Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per game
- Each bowling side gets a strategic time-out of up to two and a half minutes
- A 25-ball powerplay start for each team
- Two fielders are allowed outside the initial 30-yard circle during the powerplay
- Teams will be able to call time-outs, as has been the case in the Indian Premier League since 2009
- A simplified scoreboard is also proposed
Hundred 2020 Squads
Each team is to be made up of 15 players, of whom a maximum of three may be overseas players. Players will be signed using a draft system common in other franchise leagues. Two of the 15 players will come from players who performed well in the t20 Blast. At least one England Test player will be signed to each of the eight men’s teams competing in The Hundred.
On 3 October 2019 the first players to be allocated to teams were announced. They were as follows:
Team | Women’s | Men’s | Local icons |
---|---|---|---|
Birmingham Phoenix | Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon | Chris Woakes | Moeen Ali, Pat Brown |
London Spirit | Heather Knight, Freya Davies | Rory Burns | Eoin Morgan, Dan Lawrence |
Manchester Originals | Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone | Jos Buttler | Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson |
Northern Superchargers | Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith | Ben Stokes | Adil Rashid, David Willey |
Oval Invincibles | Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson | Sam Curran | Jason Roy, Tom Curran |
Southern Brave | Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt | Jofra Archer | James Vince, Chris Jordan |
Trent Rockets | Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt | Joe Root | Alex Hales, Harry Gurney |
Welsh Fire (Tân Cymreig) | Katie George, Bryony Smith | Jonny Bairstow | Tom Banton, Colin Ingram |
The draft took place on 20 October 2019 at Sky Studios in Osterley. Sky Sports and BBC Sport showed the event live.
The new T20 tournament that the ECB has proposed will be based on the lines of the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League with a total of eight teams in action. These city-based T20 teams will cover regions in the country rather than the counties as has been the case in the NatWest T20 Blast and they will have names on the lines of how T20 tournaments around the world have – catchy. The eight The Hundred team names are as follows;
Birmingham Phoenix
Men’s Squad: Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Brown, Wessels (wk), Williamson (captain), Livingstone, Bopara, Howell, Afridi, Helm, Zampa.
Bench: Hose, Delport, Brookes, Cooke.
Coach: Andrew McDonald
Women’s Squad: Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon. Coach: Ben Sawyer
London Spirit
Men’s Squad: Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Eoin Morgan (captain), Denly, Maxwell, Nabi, Rossington (wk), van der Merwe, Amir, Dernbach, Wood, Crane.
Bench: Abbott, Burns, Crawley, Reece.
Coach: Shane Warne
Women’s Squad: Heather Knight, Freya Davies. Coach: Lisa Keightley
Manchester Originals
Men’s Squad: Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Salt, Madsen, Abell, Vilas (c), Christian, Santner, Parnell, Tahir.
Bench: Clarke, De Lange, Pollock, Byrom.
Coach: Simon Katich
Women’s Squad: Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone
Northern Superchargers
Men’s Squad: Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Finch (c), Lyth, Lynn, Wiese, Foakes (wk), Gleeson, Rimmington, Mujeeb.
Bench: Kohler-Cadmore, Carse, Barnard, Simpson (wk).
Coach: Darren Lehmann
Women’s Squad: Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith. Coach: Danielle Hazell
Oval Invincibles
Men’s Squad: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Jason Roy, Narine, Roussouw, Billings, Blake, Allen, Viljoen, Lamichhane, Topley.
Bench: Jacks, Wood, Sowter, Evans.
Coach: Tom Moody
Women’s Squad: Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson. Coach: Lydia Greenway
Southern Brave
Men’s Squad: Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, James Vince, Warner (c), Pope (wk), Rawlins, Russell, Whiteley, Dawson, Shadab Khan, Mills.
Bench: Garton, Davies (wk), Waller, Overton.
Coach: Mahela Jayawardene
Women’s Squad: Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt. Coach: Charlotte Edwards
Trent Rockets
Men’s Squad: Joe Root (captain), Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Short, Malan, Moores (wk), Mullaney, Gregory, Khan, Coulter-Nile, Carter.
Bench: Moores, Cox (wk), Fletcher, Wright.
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Women’s Squad: Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt. Coach: Salliann Briggs
Welsh Fire
Men’s Squad: Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Colin Ingram, Duckett, Smith, Ten Doeschate, Plunkett, Harmer, Starc, Rampaul, Ahmad.
Bench: Payne, Higgins, Briggs, Du Plooy.
Coach: Gary Kirsten
Women’s Squad: Katie George, Bryony Smith. Coach: Matthew Mott
What’s known so far is that the players will be selected in a Draft-like format instead of the Auction as is used in the Indian Premier League. The Draft is used in the Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League. The Hundred Draft will be held on Sunday, October 20, and the likes of Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga and David Warner will all be a part of the Draft.
They will play their respective home matches at Old Trafford in Manchester, Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Trent Bridge in Nottingham, Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Lord’s and The Oval in London and the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
The Hundred 2020 Schedule
A total of 36 matches over 38 days is being planned. Weekends with no Test cricket being played are being targeted so that two matches a day can take place on such dates to capitalise on the TV audience and build a following for the new league.
Jul 17, Fri
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire, 1st Match
Kennington Oval, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 18, Sat
Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit, 2nd Match
Edgbaston, Birmingham
6:30 PM
01:30 PMGMT / 02:30 PM LOCAL
Manchester Originals vs Northern Superchargers, 3rd Match
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
9:30 PM
04:30 PMGMT / 05:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 19, Sun
Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix, 4th Match
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
6:30 PM
01:30 PMGMT / 02:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 20, Mon
Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave, 5th Match
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Northern Superchargers vs Oval Invincibles, 6th Match
Headingley, Leeds
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 21, Tue
London Spirit vs Trent Rockets, 7th Match
Lord’s, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 22, Wed
Southern Brave vs Manchester Originals, 8th Match
The Rose Bowl, Southampton
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 23, Thu
London Spirit vs Northern Superchargers, 9th Match
Lord’s, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 24, Fri
Birmingham Phoenix vs Southern Brave, 10th Match
Edgbaston, Birmingham
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 25, Sat
Trent Rockets vs Welsh Fire, 11th Match
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
6:30 PM
01:30 PM GMT / 02:30 PM LOCAL
Oval Invincibles vs Manchester Originals, 12th Match
Kennington Oval, London
9:30 PM
04:30 PMGMT / 05:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 26, Sun
Northern Superchargers vs Birmingham Phoenix, 13th Match
Headingley, Leeds
6:30 PM
01:30 PMGMT / 02:30 PM LOCAL
Southern Brave vs Oval Invincibles, 14th Match
The Rose Bowl, Southampton
9:30 PM
04:30 PMGMT / 05:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 27, Mon
Manchester Originals vs Trent Rockets, 15th Match
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 28, Tue
Welsh Fire vs Birmingham Phoenix, 16th Match
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 29, Wed
Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit, 17th Match
Kennington Oval, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Jul 30, Thu
Northern Superchargers vs Southern Brave, 18th Match
Headingley, Leeds
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Jul 31, Fri
Manchester Originals vs London Spirit, 19th Match
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 01, Sat
Welsh Fire vs Northern Superchargers, 20th Match
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 02, Sun
Trent Rockets vs Oval Invincibles, 21st Match
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 03, Mon
Birmingham Phoenix vs Manchester Originals, 22nd Match
Edgbaston, Birmingham
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 04, Tue
Southern Brave vs Trent Rockets, 23rd Match
The Rose Bowl, Southampton
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Aug 05, Wed
Northern Superchargers vs Manchester Originals, 24th Match
Headingley, Leeds
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Aug 06, Thu
London Spirit vs Oval Invincibles, 25th Match
Lord’s, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Aug 07, Fri
Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire, 26th Match
The Rose Bowl, Southampton
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 08, Sat
Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets, 27th Match
Edgbaston, Birmingham
11:00 PM
06:00 PM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 09, Sun
Welsh Fire vs London Spirit, 28th Match
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
11:00 PM
06:00 PMGMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 10, Mon
Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers, 29th Match
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
11:00 PM
06:00 PMGMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 11, Tue
Oval Invincibles vs Birmingham Phoenix, 30th Match
Kennington Oval, London
11:00 PM
06:00 PMGMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL
Aug 12, Wed
London Spirit vs Southern Brave, 31st Match
Lord’s, London
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Aug 13, Thu
Manchester Originals vs Welsh Fire, 32nd Match
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
10:30 PM
05:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL
Aug 15, Sat
TBC vs TBC, Semi Final (2nd v 3rd)
TBC, TBC
8:00 PM
03:00 PMGMT / 08:30 PM LOCAL
TBC vs TBC, Final
TBC, TBC
10:30 PM
05:30 PMGMT / 11:00 PM LOCAL
How to watch The Hundred 2020 tournament live?
All games will be televised by Sky Sports, with the BBC also simul-casting 10 men’s and eight women’s games free-to-air.