In the dawn of the 21st Century, in 2003 a new format was introduced in cricket; one that would revolutionise the future of the game: Twenty-Twenty Cricket. T20, a fresh and exciting form which combined glitz, glamour and music with cricket was heralded as an immediate success. This summer marks the 1st edition of The Hundred, which was designed by the England and Wales Cricket board in the hope that it would further radically alter the game. In this article, we will be exploring what the Hundred is as well as the effect it will have on modern cricket.

The Hundred is a format of the game in which each team has an innings of 100 balls to bat, where they would try and score as many runs as possible. A fascinating new feature is that each over consists of 10 balls instead of 6 balls (like Cricket always has done), what would I imagine be much more exhausting for the bowlers. The tournament itself will exist in a round robin form: one in which each team would play each other at least once, with 34 matches in the league stages. The playoffs will then be played and then finally there will be the finals (a structure which interestingly has some parallels with the Indian Premier League). The reactions to this new format have been very mixed, players such as Joe Root who is the current test Captain for England, openly embraces it, saying it will be wonderful for the game. However, many are also accusing the ECB of just looking for a chance for earning more money and trying to innovate a game which does not require change.

Players to definitely look out for this year? One player, who is incredibly special is the England pace bowler: Jofra Archer. Since being selected into the England team in April of 2019, Jofra has done wonders: being part of the world cup winning squad and taking an incredible 20 wickets in the competition. Archer has also proven himself to be a superb T20 player, securing a place in the Rajasthan Royals IPL team. If there is one player who I would definitely watch out for, it would be Jofra.

Will the Hundred revolutionise Cricket? In my opinion, it will not. Despite it being designed by the ECB to attract more attention and support for cricket: especially from the younger crowd, it seems awfully similar to the Indian Premier League which has succeeded in gaining more support for cricket. Also, features such as the 10 ball over, show the ECB’s desperation to create a format which makes a difference, and said features are actually unnecessary.