The Hundred Explained: England's 100-Ball Cricket Competition
How The Hundred works — England's 100-ball franchise cricket competition launched in 2021, its unique format that differs from T20, and how it attempted to bring new audiences to cricket in England.
The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket competition organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Launched in 2021 (delayed one year from 2020 due to COVID-19), it features eight city-based franchise teams competing across a six-week competition in summer. Its defining feature is its format — instead of 20 overs (T20), each innings consists of 100 balls (with each bowler able to bowl a maximum of 20 balls, in sets of 5 or 10 consecutive deliveries).
100-Ball Format Differences
The Hundred's format differs from T20 in several ways: each bowler can bowl up to 20 balls per innings (vs 4 overs/24 balls in T20); deliveries are bowled in sets of 5 or 10 from the same end (rather than strict 6-ball overs from alternating ends); the batting team changes ends after every 10-ball group (rather than after every over); and the scoring graphics emphasise balls remaining rather than overs remaining, which the ECB argued was more intuitive for new cricket audiences who might find the concept of 'overs' confusing.
Eight City Franchises
The Hundred's eight franchises are city-based rather than county-based: London Spirit, Oval Invincibles, Manchester Originals, Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix, Southern Brave, Welsh Fire, and Northern Superchargers. The city naming was a deliberate departure from county cricket's traditional club identities (eg. Surrey, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire) — the ECB believed new audiences would relate more easily to city identities (London, Birmingham, Manchester) than to historical county names.
Controversy
The Hundred generated significant opposition from English county cricket supporters — who viewed the competition as a distraction from county cricket, as taking the best players away from the county circuit for six weeks of summer, and as commercially exploiting cricket's audience for ECB revenue without distributing the benefits equitably to counties. The ECB's argument (that The Hundred's new audiences and broadcast revenues would eventually benefit cricket's entire ecosystem) has been partially validated by its viewership numbers but remained contested within English cricket's established constituencies.
International Player Participation
The Hundred attracts international players from across cricket — West Indian power-hitters, Australian specialists, South African allrounders, and South Asian subcontinental stars. Its summer timing (July–August) allows overseas players to participate without conflicting with most international schedules or the IPL. Top international women's cricketers also participate in The Hundred Women's competition, making it one of the most internationally diverse women's franchise competitions globally.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Hundred in cricket?
A 100-ball cricket competition organised by the ECB, launched in 2021. It has eight city-based franchises in England and Wales, with each innings consisting of 100 balls (not 20 overs). Bowlers can bowl sets of 5 or 10 consecutive balls, up to 20 balls per innings. It was designed to attract new audiences to cricket in England.
How does The Hundred format differ from T20 cricket?
100 balls per innings vs 120 (T20); bowlers bowl in sets of 5 or 10 consecutive balls (not strict 6-ball overs); batting team changes ends after every 10 balls (not every 6); scoring shows balls remaining rather than overs. The bowler maximum is 20 balls (vs 24 in T20).
Why was The Hundred controversial?
County cricket supporters opposed it as a distraction from county cricket, taking the best players away for six weeks. Critics argued it commercially exploited cricket's audience for ECB revenue without equitably distributing benefits to counties. The ECB argued its new audiences and broadcast revenues would benefit cricket's ecosystem — a claim partially validated but still debated.