LS vs OI: Defending champions London Spirit (LS) began their Women’s Hundred 2025 journey with an authoritative 17-run victory over city rivals Oval Invincibles (OI) at Lord’s.

The game attracted a lively attendance of 15,640 spectators, and the big star on the day was Grace Harris, who took the center stage with a scorching 89 not out from just 42 balls.

Grace Harris vs Meg Lanning: A Battle of Australian Titans

In a nail-biting clash between two of Australia’s top hitters, Grace Harris came out on top. Signed ahead of Meg Lanning in the winter, Harris vindicated Spirit’s move by opening up on the Invincibles’ bowling lineup with a brutal onslaught.

Her explosive innings was full of power and precision, underpinning Spirit’s score of 176 for 3, the second-largest score in Women’s Hundred history.

Lanning, however, put up a good fight with 85 from 51 balls, bringing Oval Invincibles back into the chase before being dismissed. Lack of support at the other end, however, meant her fight came to an end in vain.

Cordelia Griffith and Harris Power Spirit’s Batting Surge

Grace Harris was the star of the show, but she had competent support from Cordelia Griffith, who smashed a quick 50 off 29 deliveries. The two of them propelled London Spirit to a commanding total that established the tone of the match.

“There were good comms from the openers — the wicket was nice, just a bit of swing in the air,” said Grace Harris. “I’m happy to bat anywhere, but it’s always good to finish strong.”

LS vs OI: Invincibles Falter Despite Lanning’s Brilliance

Even with Meg Lanning’s imposing innings, Oval Invincibles were not able to establish partnerships consistently. Brief contributions from Alice Capsey and Marizanne Kapp gave hope, but they weren’t able to compete with Spirit’s batting depth.

Alternatively, the absence of a consistent secondary scorer was conspicuous in contrast to the Griffith-Harris partnership.

Bowling Highlights: Farrant Ends Drought, Ryana Shines

For the Invincibles, Ryana Macdonald-Gay was the most frugal and reliable bowler, while Tash Farrant marked a personal milestone by claiming her first wicket in the competition after 1,450 days, after sitting out due to an injury layoff. 

Meerkat Match Hero: Grace Harris

Harris’ destructive inning got her the Meerkat Match Hero award, and she opined on the significance of a good start in the high-intensity format of The Hundred.

“Always want to get the win up first, particularly against cross-town rivals,” said Harris. “It’s always nice to get the wood on them early in the season.” 

Heather Knight Absence, No Problem for Spirit

London Spirit demonstrated cohesion and firepower despite their 2024 title-winning captain Heather Knight’s absence. Their impressive team performance, spearheaded by Grace Harris, sets them up well for their efforts to hold onto their title.

ALSO READ: WPL 2025 MI vs UPW: Sciver-Brunt Leads Mumbai To Win

In this article, we will discuss the players who were responsible for leading the team in the Hundred League but never got a chance to play for the England Cricket team.

The Hundred is a league in which 100 balls are bowled in each inning, max. This league is played in England and Wales between the cities of these countries. There are a total of 8 teams in the league named Welsh Fire, Manchester Originals, Southern Brave, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix, and Trent Rockets.

International players from various countries play in this league for the teams, and many cricketers who have not yet debuted for England also get the chance to play in this league along with the international big players.

Let’s have a look at 2 players who captained the teams of the Hundred League and have not yet made a debut for England in international cricket. 

Tom Abell 

An English batting all-rounder from Taunton, Somerset. He is 30 years old and debuted in first-class cricket on August 15, 2018. He made 95 runs in his first inning and got out on a silver duck the following inning. Further, he made a debut in the T20 format in the Nat-West Blast T20 for Somerset but unfortunately got out on 7.

He has an average of 32.85 in T20Is and captained the Welsh Fire team in the Hundred League. Currently, he is playing for Birmingham Phoenix this year. He has 14 matches in the Hundred League in which he made a total of 195 runs with an average of 16.2.

Josh Cobb

Josh is a 33-year-old English cricketer from Leicester City. He made his appearance in cricket with his debut in 2008 for Leicester in first-class cricket. He made 23 runs in his debut match and bowled 9 overs, out of which he got no wickets.

He debuted in T20Is for Leicester City, playing against Glamorgan. He scored 251 when he played a U-19 match against Bangladesh in 2009. He was the captain of Welsh Fire in 2022 in the Hundred League. 

Surprisingly, both of the players are from the same team, which shows that the team promotes domestic cricket and gives the opportunity to the native players to showcase their talent among the bigger players who play internationally and represent cricket on a global level. 

ALSO READ: All-Time ODI Batting Rankings: Celebrating Legends of the Game

The Hundred League just ended on 18th August 2024, in which we saw Oval Invincibles slay it till the end of the tournament and win the title of the tournament. The tournament was a roller coaster ride where we saw so many potentially rich, talented players among all the teams. 

Here in this article, we will disclose our best playing eleven from the tournament that would have made it nearly impossible for any team to win against. Although we all know cricket is a team game, more than just the talent and skill set, you also need to endure that unity in the team by using the strengths of the players to the advantage of the team and seeking victory rather than individual milestones. 

Sam Curran 

The bowling all-rounder who did wonders in the tournament this year broke the record for giving out the best performance in a single game, where he smashed a century and took a five-wicket haul in the same game.

He would provide the team of best 11 with a greater depth in all the departments, as his strength was his versatility to bat and bowl in any situation, not just specific areas of the department, which could be his USP too, further for the auction next year. He was the third-highest wicket-taker of the Hundred League this year, totaling up to 17 wickets, and the 8th-highest run scorer. 

Ben Stokes 

The captain of the England team who led a great series recently against the West Indies and won it with a greater gap. He could lead the team of the best 11 efficiently, as he has the much-needed experience to lead a team. Being an all-format player, he can allocate the roles of the players pretty well.

He himself provides the team with a better balance by being a versatile player who can bat or bowl anywhere and anytime when needed for the team. He played for the Northern Superchargers this season but got an early exit from the Hundred League due to his hamstring injury, which also raised concerns about him being available for the national duties as well.

Nicholas Pooran 

The hard-hitter from the West Indies, Nicholas Pooran, played for the Northern Superchargers this season, in which he ended up being the 4th highest scorer of the tournament. He managed to make a total of 227 runs with an impressive average of 45.40 in the Hundred League. He could be used as an opener for the best 11 to begin destruction from the start. 

Adam Zampa 

The spinning wizard from Australia ended up as the highest wicket-taker of the Hundred League with 19 wickets in his pocket. He was a part of the Oval Invincibles and was one of the crucial reasons for contributing to the victory of the team and taking wickets in such a fast-paced format where bowler’s nightmares are seen often; he performed exceptionally well.  

Tymal Mills 

The England-born left-arm pacer who made the ball swing crazily for the batsman and gave us a taste of test match bowling by showing off his skills in the Hundred League. He took the same amount of wickets as Adam Zampa i.e. 19 but with a slightly higher economy than Zampa of 9.30 whereas Zampa had an economy of 7.33 in the tournament. He could be utilized for bowling from the new ball in the best 11, as his left-arm pacing action can create a problem for the openers of the opposition. 

Chris Jordan 

He played a major part in some of the victories of the Southern Brave in the Hundred League. He recently played for England in the T20 World Cup and has represented England in various international matches. His experience with international players can be useful for the best 11 and choke the opposition from scoring runs. 

Jofra Archer

The right-arm pacer is known for his windmill bowling action, which gives him the strength to get the bowl near to the wickets or batsman sooner than he can predict, and he usually gets a wicket out of his terror of bowling onto the body of the batsman.

Though in this season of the Hundred League, his performance did not really come out well, after he came back from his injury and its recovery, he has been finding his right speed and pitching. 

Akeal Hosein

The slow left-arm magician from the West Indies who played for Souther Brave in the Hundred League. He is known for bowling the first over from white ball cricket, mainly because his variations are extravagant.

He can spin and swing the ball in both directions simultaneously, which makes it harder for the batsman to pick and hit. He could be the great potential spinner for the best 11 to add as a surprise element for the opposition. 

Also Read: 4 Elite overseas players in the Hundred League Women

An experienced county cricket player who led the team of the Southern Brave in the Hundred League. He ended up as the highest scorer of the tournament, totaling up to 424 runs, and even managed to make his team reach the finals, where he made 24 runs but unfortunately could not score more and lost it. His experience in county cricket and playing on those grounds could help the team’s best 11 in planning and execution. 

Ben Duckett 

The top-order batsman from England played for Birmingham Phoenix in the tournament and made the 2nd most runs out of all the teams. His total runs were 269 with a huge average of 67.25 and a staggering strike rate of 171.33, which is ideal for this format. His striking ability to hit from the power play makes him an ideal pick for the best 11. 

Rashid Khan 

The face of Afghanistan Cricket, a leg spinner whose records are unmatchable at such an early age. He played for the Trent Rockets in this season of the Hundred League and managed to pick up nine wickets only.

Although his form was not great in the tournament and he also got back injury issues chasing him for a year, he is the best choice for providing the team with the support of stopping the flow of runs as he is among the top-rated players around the globe in T20 cricket. His whiteball performance is extraordinarily good for the best 11 to win and nail it. 

In this article, we will examine the highly rated overseas players in The Hundred League Women.

The Hundred League just ended on August 18, in which Oval Invincibles from the Men’s League won the title and London Spirits from the Women’s League. The league was a total roller coaster ride, and many entertaining moments were created during the span of this tournament. 

Along with the native players, there were some overseas superstars as well who added spice to the tournament and made it enticing for the audience. 

Let’s have a look at those enticing overseas players of the tournament.

Georgia Redmayne

The Australian wicketkeeper batter managed to make 229 runs in the Hundred League. She was the 3rd highest scorer of the tournament with an average of 28.62, played for the London Spirits, and was the player of the match in the finals of the league against Welsh Fire. She made 34 out of 32 balls and helped the team chase 116 runs to win the match and title of the tournament. 

Deepti Sharma 

An Indian all-rounder who played for the London Spirits managed to be the 7th highest run scorer with 212 runs in total out of 6 innings, where she had the outstanding stat of not being out of the fast-paced format where players start hitting and taking risks from the first ball they face. She gave so many absolute wonder performances, which include 16 runs not out in the finals, where she played sensibly to chase out a fairly subtle target of 116 in the finals of the Hundred League against Welsh Fire. 

Laura Wolvaardt 

The South African opening batter who played for Manchester Originals in the Hundred League and ended the tournament being the 6th highest scorer of the tournament. She managed to make 215 runs in 7 innings, which included one half century and the 2nd highest individual score of the tournament (78*). 

Also Read – The Hundred: IPL Players Who’d Become Superstars

Jess Jonassen 

The left-arm orthodox bowler from Australia ended up being in the 3rd position for taking most wickets in the Hundred League. She was a part of Welsh Fire and managed to pick up 12 wickets with an impressive economy of 6.62 in such a fast-paced format. Unfortunately, she was not able to take any wickets in the finals of the tournament against the London Spirits but stopped the flow of runs for the opposition by giving only 16 runs in 18 balls. 

The Hundred League commenced in the last week of July and has reached near the quarterfinals stage now. Consisting of a total of 100 balls in each inning, this shorter format opened a new way of playing fast-paced cricket with a different strategy needed to be accustomed to other than all the other formats.

Many players got humbled in all the departments as per the demand of this format; for instance, Rashid Khan got hit for 5 consecutive by Kieron Pollard, who retired from IPL 2 years ago and still managed to hit these maximums against one of the greatest spin bowlers of the world.

Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas is a part of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. He used to bat at number 5 during the middle overs and was given the role of a finisher for the team. Pooran scored a total of 499 runs in 14 matches, just a couple of runs behind the captain KL Rahul in the IPL, with a destructive strike rate of 178.21 and an impressive average of 62.37. He was the 8th highest scorer in the IPL season 2024 and the only batsman to enter the top ten after batting at number 5.

In the Hundred League, Nicholas Pooran sits in the 3rd position for the highest runs in this league. He plays for the Northern Superchargers and recently came into the limelight for his blistering innings of 66* off 33 balls against the Manchester Originals. In that gigantic innings, he also hit a six of 113 meters on the 74th ball of the innings, and Scott Burrie bowled the ball on the leg, which was clobbered on the mid wicket region by Nicholas Pooran.

Also Read:

Phil Salt

Salt played as a top-order batsman from the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Phil made 435 runs in 12 matches with an average of over 40 and a lethal strike rate of 182. He opened with Sunil Narine, and both the batsmen combined gave a swashbuckling start for KKR. Salt and Narine combined made 559 runs in 12 innings, which was the third-best this season. The pair had six fifty-plus partnerships this season, the most by any pair.

In the Hundred League, he sits in the 4th position for the most runs scored list for the Manchester Originals. In 7 matches, he made 261 runs and averaged up to 30.85 with a satisfactory strike rate of 148.96.

Sam Curran

Sam played for Kings X1 Punjab in 2024; he is a bowling all-rounder who even opened for the team this season and played some clinical innings, which contributed to some victories for the team. This season for the Punjab Kings was not really good for the team, and a basic performance was given by Sam Curran. He made 246 runs this year with a satisfactory average of 26. Along with that, he took 16 wickets in the IPL 2024 season for the Punjab Kings in 13 matches, but had an expensive economy of around 10.15.

He plays for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred League and made 176 runs in 7 matches, which averages up around 26 and took 16 wickets, which is an impeccable record to sustain. He is the second highest wicket taker this year in the Hundred League. He became the first batsman to score a half-century and take five wickets in the same match in the Hundred.

Rashid Khan

He is considered one of the best bowlers of the T20 format around the world with astounding stats. He played for the Gujarat Titans this season (2024) and played 12 matches. Unfortunately, this season he was in his recovery phase after his back injury, due to which he bowled fewer overs and comparatively had a normal stat this season, taking only 10 wickets in 12 matches with an economy of 8.40. Along with that, he made 110 runs with the bat averaging up to 20.40.

In the Hundred League, he played for the Trent Rockets and took 9 wickets out of 5 matches. This season he became famous for getting hit for 5 sixes by Kieron Pollard from the Southern Braves; unfortunately, just after that match, Rashid Khan was unavailable to play the remainder matches and replaced by Chris Green. Due to injuries occurring this year, Rashid Khan suffered from not being able to give the best out of his performance.

Hopefully soon after the recovery he will make a comeback, as this year he made history by becoming one of the youngest captains of Afghanistan to lead in the T20 World Cup, and for the first time Afghanistan qualified for the semi finals, which were played against England.

ALSO READ: Batsman With Most Consecutive Sixes Against Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan, the 24-year-old leg spinner from Afghanistan, has impeccable bowling figures in his career around the world. He has taken 369 international wickets till now in a total of 200 innings he played with an average of 18.04 and a stingy economy of 4.46, including all formats.

Recently, he led Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup and made history by taking them to the semi-finals for the first time. Rashid also plays cricket leagues of different countries, such as IPL, SAL, MLC, The Hundred, ILT20, and so on.

Here, we will have a look at the moments when the dominator Rashid Khan got his economies crushed by the maximums of the batsman consecutively in his over.

AB de Villiers in the T20 World Cup (2016)

Rashid Khan was bowling the 17th over in the T20 World Cup match no. 10 against South Africa, 29 runs an over.

Ball-by-ball summary of the infamous over by Rashid Khan against AB de Villers

16.1 Rashid bowled a short ball, and AB de Villiers pulled it on from the back foot towards the mid-wicket area.

16.2 Rashid to de Villiers. Short pitched ball on the outside off hit by de Villiers in the air towards mid-wicket, fielder tried to dive in but the ball bounced in front of him and went to four

16.3 Rashid bowled a full ball to de Villiers, and he galloped forward to hit it down the ground for maximum.

16.4 Rashid to de Villiers. Again, half-pitched the ball towards the line of the stumps and hammered on the mid-wicket for a six.

16.5 Rashid Khan bowls a long ball outside off to DeVilliers; he slugs the ball for a long shot as it comes in his hitting arc and smashed into the fence.

16.6 Rashid to de Villiers. Ab slides it on the off for a single and keeps the strike.

Chris Gayle in IPL (2018)

Chris is one of the most explosive opener batsmen in the world with a destructive six-hit ability; due to his height and strong physique, he can stand and deliver sixes as if it’s a cakewalk for him.

In the IPL 2018 KXIP vs. SRH match, Rashid was bowling in the 14th over, and Chris was in his hitting zone at that time, 27 runs from the over.

Ball-by-ball summary of Rashid Khan’s over vs Chris Gayle

13.1 Rashid to Nair. He pushes the length ball on the deep mid-wicket area for a single

13.2 Rashid bowls Chris Gayle a fuller ball, and Chris gets the ball in his hitting arc and sends it for a six.

13.3 Chris gets a short-pitched delivery by Rashid and clobbers the ball over his head towards the sight screen straight.

13.4 Rashid to Chris Gayle. It goes fuller this time, and Chris strikes a clean hit even bigger than the last one above the sight screen with the use of his strong bottom hand, lofted straight toward the audience.

13.5 Rashid to Chris Gayle. Gayle made a sweet connection with the fuller delivery bowled from wide of the crease and muscles it towards the cow corner.

13.6 Chris pushes the delivery on the leg and takes two by running, which is a rare sight to see.

Marco Jansen in SA20 (2023)

In the 2023 SA20 League, the SEC needed 67 runs in 30 balls from MICT to win. Rashid came to bowl in the 16th over and was humbled by Marco Jansen, who’s a bowler all-rounder, with 28 runs in total scored in this over.

Ball-by-ball summary of Rashid Khan’s over vs Marco Jansen

15.1 Rashid bowls a googly with a speed of 87 kmph, and Jansen waits for it to spin then delivers it above the square leg for a six.

15.2 Rashid bowls a drifter to invite Jansen for a drive and edges it towards the slip, going to four as the third man was under the 30-yard circle.

15.3 Jansen whacks the overpitched delivery by Rashid towards mid-wicket and adds up six runs to the scoreboard.

15.4 Rashid delivers another delivery near the slot, and Jansen slogs it in the mid-wicket area, a little bit directed towards Squarer.

15.5 Jansen blocks the ball directed towards the stumps by Rashid and gives no runs.

15.6 Jansen slogs it again with a sweep for a 75-meter six as Rashid gambles on the length outside off but does not work out in their favor.

Kieron Pollard in The Hundred (2024)

Kieron Pollard was struggling with scoring just 6 runs off 14 balls and completely changed the wind after 5 balls bowled by Rashid Khan. Southern Brave needed 49 of 20 balls to win from Trent Rockets, and Rashid came to bowl 5 balls.

Pollard makes room for the ball and clobbers it towards the wide, long-on region on a googly delivery by Rashid Khan.

Rashid bowls on the off stump with a length ball; Pollard waits and hits it with the sheer power of his biceps towards the long off. Pollard hits it bigger and longer again on the long off for a six on Rashid’s overpitched delivery.

Rashid bowls a short-pitched delivery and gets no turn, which Pollard sort pulls and sends it out of the ground, proper power hitting showcased by the Pollard.

Rashid bowls a fuller on the outside off, and Pollard manages to get it for a six for 5th consecutively, completely changing the scenario of the match and scoring 30 runs off 5 balls, which are the maximum runs possible to score out of legal deliveries.

Now Southern Brave needed just 19 off 15 balls and won the match from a dead end against the Trent Rockets.

Kieron Pollard !! ❤️‍🔥 absolute crazy stuff man ; smashed 5 sixes off 5 balls off Rashid Khan & won the game! He's a part time cricketer now but has still got it 🔥🔥 legend of the game,one of the best ever all rounders ❤️‍🔥🤝🏻#TheHundred • #KieronPollard pic.twitter.com/bXr3TvKLOE

— Ishaan 🔴 (@Ishaan_04) August 10, 2024

The Hundred is a league in which 100 balls are bowled in each inning max; this league is played in England and Wales between the cities of these countries. There are a total of 8 teams in the league named – Welsh Fire, Manchester Originals, Southern Brave, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix, and Trent Rockets.

International players from various countries play in this league for the teams, and many cricketers who have not yet debuted for England also get the chance to play in this league along with the big international players. Let’s look at 2 players who captained the teams of the Hundred League and have not yet made a debut for England in international cricket.

Tom Abell

An English batting all-rounder from Taunton, Somerset. He is 30 years old and debuted in first-class cricket on August 15, 2018. He made 95 runs in his first inning and got out on a silver duck the following inning.

Further, he made a debut in the T20 format in the Nat-West Blast T20 for Somerset but unfortunately got out on 7. He has an average of 32.85 in T20Is and captained the Welsh Fire team in the Hundred League. Currently, he played for Birmingham Phoenix this year. He has 14 matches in the Hundred League in which he made a total of 195 runs with an average of 16.2.

Josh Cobb

Josh is a 33-year-old English cricketer from Leicester City. He made his appearance in cricket with his debut in 2008 for Leicester in first-class cricket. He made 23 runs in his debut match and bowled 9 overs, out of which he got no wickets. He debuted in T20Is for Leicester City, playing against Glamorgan. He scored 251 when he played a U-19 match against Bangladesh in 2009. He was the captain of Welsh Fire in 2022 in the Hundred League.

Surprisingly both of the players are from the same team which shows that the team promotes domestic cricket and allows the native players to showcase their talent among the bigger players who play internationally and represent cricket on a global level.

Since its inception in 2021, The Hundred has entertained cricket lovers with its fast-paced format. While batters go all-guns-blazing, it is the responsibility of the bowlers to quiet the batters.

Here is a list of most dot balls bowled in an innings in Men’s The Hundred: 

London Spirit vs Welsh Fire (2024)- 56

In a match between London Spirit and Welsh Fire August 01, 2024, Daniel Worrall bowled 16 dot balls and registered a record in the history of the league by bowling 10 consecutive dot balls. Olly Stone and  Liam Dawson also bowled 13 dots each for London Spirit. The team bowled a total of 56 dots in the innings at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in St John’s Wood. Spirit won by 3 wickets with 13 balls remaining. 

Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals (2023)- 54

Oval Invincibles ballers bowled a total of 54 dot balls to batters of Manchester Originals in a match on August 09, 2023 at The Oval in Kennington. Richard Gleeson bowled nine dot balls for Oval Invincibles and Josh Little delivered six dot balls. Invincibles won by 94 runs.

Manchester Originals v Welsh Fire  (2024)- 53

Manchester Originals took on Welsh Fire on July 25, 2024 at the Old Trafford in Manchester in a match of the league. The host bowled 53 dots in total which included 14 by David Payne , 12 by David Willey and 10 by  Josh Little. Fire won by 8 wickets with 43 balls remaining.

Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals  (2021)- 52

At Emerald Headingley Cricket Stadium in Leeds, Northern Superchargers faced Manchester Originals on August 12. Northern Superchargers bowled 52 dots to Manchester Originals. Lockie Ferguson and Ackermann bowled eight dots each to Northern Superchargers. Northern Superchargers won by 69 runs. 

Also Read: Top 5 Highest Run Chases in Men’s The Hundred

Birmingham Phoenix v Oval Invincibles (2023)- 51

Birmingham Phoenix took on Oval Invincibles on home turf Edgbaston in Birmingham on August 13. Birmingham Phoenix ballers bowled 51 dots to batters of Oval Invincibles. This included seven dots by Nathan Sowter and six each by Sam Curran and Sunil Narine. Birmingham Phoenix won by 41 runs. 

Chasing down big targets in high-pressure games tests the potential of the batters. Here are the top five highest successful run chases in the history of The Hundred.

The inaugural season of The Hundred was played in 2021 and since then the format has offered a pack of entertainment for cricket lovers. 

Here are the top five highest successful run chases in the history of The Hundred. 

Manchester Originals vs Southern Brave

In the eliminator match of the 2003 edition of The Hundred, Southern Brave posted a total of 197 against Manchester Originals after they were put to bat first. On August 26, 23, The Reds chased down the target making 201 in 96 balls losing three wickets. Playing on home turf Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester Originals won by 7 wickets. 

Trent Rockets vs Manchester Originals

Trent Rockets and  Manchester Originals clashed on August 13, 2022 in the 11th match of The Hundred. At the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, the host posted a total of 190 on the scoreboard. In reply, Trent Rockets scored 193 in 89 balls losing two wickets, and won the match by 8 wickets. 

Birmingham Phoenix vs Oval Invincibles

In the 18th match of the 2021 edition of The Hundred on August 4, Birmingham Phoenix  took on Oval Invincibles at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham. Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and decided to field first. In the first innings, Oval Invincibles made 173 runs. The host chased down the target in 94 balls losing 6 wickets. 

Welsh Fire vs London Spirit

Welsh Fire and London Spirit locked horns in the 32nd match of The Hundred 2021 on August 18 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. London Spirit were put to bat first and  posted a total of 164a. In reply, Welsh Fire chased down the target in 98 balls and won by 3 wickets. 

Also Read: The Hundred: A Crucial Year for ECB Investment

Manchester Originals vs Northern Superchargers

Northern Superchargers invited Manchester Originals to bat first after winning the toss on August 5, in the third match of The Hundred 2022. Manchester Originals posted a total of 162 which the visitors chased down in 94 balls losing four wickets.

The ECB desires to make the The Hundred the second best cricket league in the world in the shortest format of the game after the IPL. And among those interested to buy stakes are Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, all of whom have been spoken to by the ECB.

The third edition of The Hundred starts on July 23 and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is set to revamp the tournament from next season. To this end the ECB has invited private investments to pump in more money into the competition as a part of its programme called “Project Gemini”.

Hundred Millions For The Hundred

ECB Director of Business Operations Vikram Banerjee, who is headlining the process on behalf of ECB and the wider game, said: “We have identified this moment as the opportunity to take The Hundred to the next level while capitalizing on the global interest in the competition to underpin the structure of the whole domestic game”.

The ECB desires to make the The Hundred the second best cricket league in the world in the shortest format of the game after the IPL. And among those interested to buy stakes are Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, all of whom have been spoken to by the ECB.

“We’re about to enter a commercial negotiation, but at a principal level, this will run very similar to other franchise leagues around the world. We have spoken about the IPL owners. I’ve met all of them and taken feedback from them on specific things about what’s important,” Banerjee added.

The stakes in the eight teams of “The Hundred” will be up for sale from September. The hosts of the eight teams will be given a 51% share, which they can sell or keep. The remaining 49% in each team was sold by the ECB to private investors.

Also Read: The Home of Cricket: Unveiling the History and Traditions of Lord’s Cricket Ground

Of the 49% stakes sold, 10% of the revenue will go to the recreational game in England and Wales and the rest further shared between the 18 first-class counties and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The 11 non-host countries will get a greater share of this portion.

The existing debt levels among some counties have been estimated at nearly UK£200 million (US$258 million) in total. Therefore, convincing the investors of a decent return on investment is crucial for the ECB.

The objective is to transform the look of the league and make it more popular that will create a generation of fans that will show up at the cricket ground. There are also plans to add more teams, according to sources.

Also Read: 5 Highest Opening Partnerships In T20I Cricket

Richard Gould, chief executive of the ECB, said inviting outside investment into The Hundred was a crucial step to keep up with rival leagues to attract top cricketers.  “If we were to delay too much, I think others may end up stealing a march on us. That would be to our disadvantage,” he said. “We need to be able to ensure that we retain the best players, both men and women, going forward for the next 10 to 20 years.”

The ECB had turned down an offer from Bridgepoint Group in December 2022 to buy a 75% stake in the competition and there are currently no plans to sell the tournament.