The Hundred – the Big Cricket History

Hundreds of millions of people around the world are crazy about cricket. And most of them are indifferent to other sports. Thanks to them, cricket confidently ranks second in popularity in the world after football and, in terms of the number of devoted fans, confidently overtakes all other team games – from baseball to hockey.

And although cricket is almost unknown outside the former British Empire, in countries with a total population of about 2 billion people, it is a religion. They have heard about Messi and may have an idea of ​​who Pele is. But Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting are forever in their hearts forever.

There are many tournaments in cricket, one of the relatively new tournaments is the Hundred. What kind of tournament it is, its history and format, we will try to tell below.

What the Hundred is and its origin

The Hundred is the title of a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament in England and Wales, conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It was originally scheduled to start in the summer of 2020 but was pushed back to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

100-ball cricket was first proposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September 2016 after discussions between 18 first-class districts, the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA), and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). , 16–3 votes for the format.

On April 26, 2017, 38 ECB members voted to approve the proposal to hold the contest in the cities. Each county is guaranteed at least £1.3 million a year. Essex, Middlesex, and Kent were those who did not vote in favor. Thirty-eight votes exceeded the threshold of 31 required for approval. Essex expressed concern about how the reduced number of sides would concentrate the competition in certain areas of the country, Middlesex would not benefit from the use of Lorde, because unlike other counties the club does not own its home ground and Kent chose not to vote.

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Tournament Format

The tournament was originally envisioned as a Twenty20 tournament. However, concerns about the relevance of the current structure of the competition and the potential to attract new fans led the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to propose an abbreviated format. On 19 April 2018, the ECB announced the creation of 100-ball cricket, which will feature 15 traditional six-ball overs and a final 10-ball variation. Other changes being discussed include the removal of the LBW law. The plan was met with considerable opposition but was supported by England captain Joe Root. On 21 February 2019, the ECB confirmed revised playing conditions where there will be ten 10-ball overs when bowlers bowl five or 10 in a row.

100-ball cricket is a format of limited-overs cricket, in which two teams play one inning of 100 balls each.

The Game Format is:

• Ending change after 10 balls
• Each bowler can have a max of 20 balls per game
• The start of the game is in most of the25 goals for each team
• Teams will be able to use timeouts
• 100 balls per inning
• Bowlers bowl five or 10 in a row
• Each bowling side is given a strategic timeout of no more than two and a half minutes
• During the power play, two fielders are permitted beyond the initial 30-yard circle 
• Also, a simplified scoreboard is offered

Tournament Structure

Eight city teams compete for the title over 38 days during the school summer holidays, which run from mid-July to early September. Each team plays four matches at home and four matches away (thus playing their closest rival twice in a similar format to the Big Bash League), meaning there are a total of 32 games in the pre-playoff league.

The top three teams feature the playoffs at the end of the league stage. The best team goes straight to the final. The second and third teams meet in the semifinals. The semi-final and final are played at the same venue on the same day.

Reaction to the Hundred

Some current England internationals have spoken favorably of the Hundred. Some believe that this will attract an entirely new audience. ODI and T20 Captain Eoin Morgan said a similar opinion. Ex-T20 captain Stuart Broad said he was very optimistic about the new format. Michael Vaughan reflected Broad’s comments, believing it would be an appealing concept for commentators, and Michael Atherton noted that while a T20 match is seldom finished in a three-hour window, it can be achieved with the Hundred.

On the other hand, current limited-overs specialists David Malan and Mark Wood have stated that despite the new format, the T20 will remain their preference.

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Nisham was taken aback by the offer and asked why England and Wales Cricket Board would try something different when the current format was already so successful. India captain Virat Kohli expressed anxiety about the commercialization of cricket and did not fully support the new format.

As you can see, opinions about the tournament are divided, time will tell how successful this format will be.

Conclusion

Cricket is the second most popular sport, especially in India where it is something of a religion. Cricket does not stand still and is constantly evolving and improving. This is how the Hundreds tournament has appeared relatively recently. Not everyone supports this new game format, but it is definitely a very important part of cricket history. So, we will soon see how successful it will be and whether it will be.