The Hundred: England's 100-Ball Format Explained
How The Hundred cricket format works — the 100-ball-per-innings format launched by the ECB in 2021, how it differs from T20 (bowlers bowl 5 or 10 consecutive balls rather than 6, fielding restrictions differ), the 8 city-based franchise teams, the controversy surrounding its introduction and impact on county cricket, and how viewership data has justified or challenged the format's commercial rationale.
The Format
The Hundred is a 100-ball-per-side format — each team's innings consists of exactly 100 deliveries bowled (barring extras). The key structural difference from T20 cricket: bowlers bowl in sets of 5 or 10 consecutive deliveries rather than 6-ball overs. A bowler can bowl 5 consecutive balls (from one end) and then either continue with another 5 from the same end or switch to the other end. Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 deliveries (equivalent to 3.3 T20 overs). The fielding restrictions (powerplay) cover the first 25 balls, with standard Powerplay restrictions applying. The format uses 2 teams of 15 players with an 11-player playing XI per match, and matches take approximately 2.5 hours including breaks — designed for television broadcast in a single primetime slot.
Teams and Competition
Eight city-based franchises compete in The Hundred: Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire. Each team has a men's and women's squad — crucially, The Hundred is one of the first cricket competitions to give men's and women's competitions equal status, broadcasting women's matches on the same schedule and at the same grounds as men's matches. Players are assigned to franchises through a draft system rather than an auction. The competition runs over approximately 6 weeks in August each year. Finals day is held at Lord's Cricket Ground.
Controversy and Impact
The Hundred's introduction was controversial. Critics argued it was an unnecessary format change that added no strategic difference from T20 while fragmenting the broadcast landscape and reducing county cricket's revenues (counties gave up T20 Blast scheduling windows for The Hundred). Supporters argued that The Hundred's different format (5-10 ball sets rather than overs, different fielding restriction timing, simplified countdown from 100) made the game more accessible to casual viewers who found T20 cricket too long or too specialist. Viewership data in the first editions was positive — BBC broadcast of The Hundred produced the highest live cricket viewing figures for BBC television in years. The women's Hundred produced significant viewership growth, justifying the equal-status co-scheduling decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Hundred cricket format recognised by the ICC?
The Hundred is a domestic competition organised by the ECB and is not an ICC-sanctioned international format — the ICC recognises Tests, ODIs, and T20Is as the three international formats. Matches in The Hundred do not count toward international statistics (they are not T20I or ODI records). Players who play in The Hundred do not earn international caps for doing so. The ICC has not adopted The Hundred format for any international competition. The format is one of several innovations at domestic level (alongside other non-standard ball-count competitions) that domestic boards can implement without ICC approval, provided they remain within the ICC's domestic regulations.
How does the 5-ball set change bowling strategy in The Hundred?
The 5-ball set (rather than 6-ball over) changes several strategic dynamics. Bowlers bowling a set of 5 balls are working toward a different psychological rhythm than a 6-ball over — some bowlers prefer the 5-ball consistency (they can build across 5 deliveries rather than 6, finding rhythm faster), others prefer the 6-ball structure. Captains can switch a bowler from one end to the other after 5 balls — allowing them to bowl from a different angle immediately. The 10-ball option (double set from the same end) concentrates a bowler's allocation in one spell, potentially more useful for building pressure across a longer sequence. These differences are subtle but give The Hundred's captains slightly different tactical tools than T20 captains.
Why is The Hundred significant for women's cricket?
The Hundred's equal-status approach to women's cricket — equal pay, equal broadcast placement, equal ground allocation — has been described as the most significant structural investment in women's domestic cricket outside Australia. Before The Hundred, women's county cricket received minimal broadcast and commercial investment. The Hundred's women's competition brought women's matches to primetime BBC broadcast, introduced women players to the same audiences as men's cricket, and significantly increased women players' earnings and public recognition. Several England women players became nationally recognised public figures through Hundred coverage who would previously have been unknown outside hardcore cricket audiences. The model is now cited by other ECB competitors as a template for women's cricket investment.