The Hundred: England's 100-Ball Competition, the ECB's Divisive Experiment in Cricket Innovation
The Hundred is a franchise cricket competition launched by the ECB in England and Wales in 2021 — played with 100 deliveries per innings (each bowler bowls consecutive balls in sets of 5 or 10). The competition has 8 city-based franchises. It was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19. The women's and men's competitions run simultaneously. The Hundred was designed to attract new and younger audiences. It has been commercially successful but opposed by traditionalists who see it as detrimental to the County Championship.
The Hundred was launched in August 2021 as the ECB's boldest attempt to grow cricket's audience in England and Wales. Unlike traditional T20 (20 overs per side), The Hundred uses 100 deliveries per innings, with each bowler delivering in sets of 5 or 10 consecutive balls (no over boundary). There is a change of ends after every 10 deliveries. Matches take approximately 2.5 hours.
The Format
The Hundred rules: each innings = 100 deliveries. Bowlers deliver in sets of 5 or 10 balls. The batting side nominates when to change ends (after each set). Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 deliveries. A 'power play' of 25 deliveries per innings restricts fielders to inside the 30-yard circle (2 outside maximum). Teams have 8 city-based franchises: London Spirit, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Welsh Fire, Manchester Originals, Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Rockets, Northern Superchargers. Each franchise has a separate men's and women's team — uniquely, both play on the same ground at the same event.
Controversy and Success
The Hundred was immediately controversial. County cricket fans and some players argued it: (1) undermined the T20 Blast (which funded county cricket clubs); (2) confused the format landscape; (3) devalued county contracts by creating a separate ECB-owned competition with central contracts. Supporters argued it: (1) attracted young girls into cricket through prominent women's fixtures; (2) broadcast free-to-air on BBC and Sky simultaneously (highest cricket TV audiences in England since 2005 Ashes); (3) created new city-based identities without displacing county cricket. BBC broadcast: The Hundred is the first major cricket competition to be broadcast simultaneously on BBC TV (free-to-air) and Sky Sports (pay-TV) in England — averaging 1–2.5 million viewers per BBC match.
Frequently asked questions
How does The Hundred compare strategically and commercially to T20 cricket's established formats, and is the 100-ball format likely to spread globally?
The Hundred vs T20 cricket: comparison and global spread analysis. Structural differences from T20: (1) 100 deliveries vs 120 (T20) — approximately 17% fewer balls; (2) No 'overs' — deliveries are counted, not grouped into 6. This eliminates the '6-ball over psychology' that has defined cricket strategy for 150 years. (3) Bowlers bowl in 5 or 10 ball sets — changing bowling strategy (a specialist powerplay bowler might bowl all 20 deliveries in 2 sets vs their usual 4-over spread in T20). (4) Games are shorter (2.5 hours vs 3 hours for T20) — a deliberate accessibility choice. Commercial success: Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, and Trent Rockets have consistently attracted 15,000+ crowds. BBC viewership has been commercially valuable to the ECB. The Hundred achieved its stated goal of attracting women aged 18–35 — a demographic previously underrepresented in cricket audiences. Global spread: as of 2024, no other ICC member has adopted the 100-ball format. The UAE and South Africa have discussed format experiments but have not implemented it. The ICC does not include The Hundred format in any official ICC competition — it remains an ECB-exclusive format. The key barrier: ICC rules restrict member nations from running 'parallel' competitions that could conflict with T20 World Cup eligibility criteria. The Hundred's status (not T20, not ODI) means it sits outside ICC's formal structure — matches are categorised as T20 for statistical purposes despite the different format.