Jack Jones

In England and Wales, there is a professional cricket league called The Hundred. The 100-ball cricket format is used in this league, which is the only one in the globe. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) organizes it, and it takes place every year in July and August. Along with the County Championship, One-Day Cup, and T20 Blast, the competition is one of the four cricket events run by the ECB. Eight teams make up The Hundred, seven of which are situated in England and one in Wales.

Each match was expected to last approximately two and a half hours when the format was created. All of the women’s matches and part of the men’s matches were streamed for free on Sky Sports’ YouTube account, while the BBC broadcast the competition free-to-air.
Nearly every game is played as a back-to-back doubleheader on the same day at the same location. Both the men’s and women’s games are accessible with a single ticket. Although the prize money for the competition is equal, the men’s salaries are four times greater than the women’s.

History

In September 2016, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) originally suggested a new Twenty20 cricket competition based in a city. The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and the 18 first-class counties voted 16–3 in favor of creating the league after preliminary discussions. [7] By a vote of 38 to 3, ECB members decided to move forward with the new competition on April 26, 2017.

In a secret meeting with senior cricket officials in October 2017, ECB chief commercial officer Sanjay Patel originally suggested that the competition be changed from the existing Twenty20 format to a whole new form of cricket. He contended that the competition’s new target demographic would find the hundred ball format easier to comprehend.

Dani Hazell, a former England player and head coach of the Northern Superchargers, said the competition would be a valuable learning opportunity for domestic players and would aid in funding the women’s regional organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a one-year postponement of the tournament.

There has been discussion on The Hundred’s profitability. According to a 2016 Deloitte estimate, the event would generate roughly £27 million in revenue annually. In 2022, the ECB revealed that The Hundred had earned a profit of £11.8 million. According to a 2023 report written by chartered accountant Fanos Hira with help from ECB chairman Richard Thompson, the company lost £9 million in its first two years. The £24.7 million promised to the counties and MCC is not included in these numbers. Richard Gould, the CEO of the ECB, stated that he anticipated the competition to remain “here to stay” once the present agreement with Sky Sports expires in 2028.