Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball)
A new competition means new rules and although we enter our fourth year of this new format tournament, the viewership is constantly growing which means more and more new fans, in fact a record 580,000 fans witnessed the tournament in 2023. The ECBs new format can get confusing! So here, I will walk you through the ins and outs of the game mode. The team structure, group & knockout stages format, draft rules, format rules and more!
1st Half of Article = Format rules & basic cricket rules.
2nd Half of Article = Competition format, player selection, salary bands, draft order, fixtures & more.
The Format Rules:
The Hundred is a brand new format, with England currently the only country playing it and it was thought up, completely by the ECB. It becomes the fourth format, joining multi-day, 50-Over and T20. It is a white ball format, meaning like 50-Over and T20 it is a shorter format, played over one day and a few hours rather then multi-day cricket, which (clue in the name) is played over a number of days and with a red ball.
Basics:
- As it states in the name, The Hundred is played with 100 balls per innings. An innings is one of the divisions of a match during where one team takes its turn to bat, whilst the other fields. The Hundred consists of two innings, so each side bats once.
- The team which scores the most runs wins. – The batting side is trying to score as many runs as possible which can be done in many ways (stated below) whilst the fielding side is trying to restrict the amount of runs scored as much as possible by taking wickets and bowling economically (more detail below.)
- Each side consists of 11 players, with 2 players batting for the batting side at one time. In order for a different player to bat, the fielding side needs to get their wicket.
- The batting side has 10 available wickets, once the fielding side has taken those 10 wickets or all 100 balls have been bowled the sides swap. With the fielding side now going into bat for the second innings vice-versa.
- There are 10 ways you can get out, I will explain the 6 basic ways below.
- The fielding side changes ends after 10 balls, meaning that every 10 balls the sides bowlers will bowl at a different end of the wicket/pitch.
- Bowlers can either deliver 5 balls which constitutes the set (equivalent of an over) or bowl 10 consecutive balls. The captain decides!
- Each bowler can only deliver 20 balls (four sets/overs) per game – similarly to T20 cricket, where the bowler can only deliver 4 overs per game.
Timeouts, The Powerplay & Timings! :
- Each bowling (fielding) side gets one strategic timeout of up to 90 seconds which can be taken at any choosen interval BUT has to be taken during their innings.
- During this timeout, their coach can walk out to the middle of the ground and discuss tactics with their players mid-match.
- Each innings consists of a 25-ball powerplay. Two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard inner circle during that powerplay. After that powerplay up to 5 players can field outside the inner ring. This period enables the batting side to aim for the boundary ropes, with less protection on them from the fielding/bowling side.
- A ticket for the Hundred enables you access to two games, as both games are played as a double header with the men’s and women’s teams (explained in more detail later.)
- One match of The Hundred will typically last around two and a half hours.
6 Basic Ways of Taking Wickets (Bowling/Fielding Side):
One = Caught – If a fielder or the wicket-keeper catches the ball after a batter has hit it with their bat, it would be out. Unless the fielder is touching the boundary rope, meaning six runs would be awarded to the batting side.
Two = Bowled – If the batter misses the ball and it hits and breaks the wicket from the bowler’s delivery. The batter would also be out if the ball breaks the wickets (stumps) after deflecting from their bat or body. If the bails do not fall off the stumps, the batter would not be out (even if they have been hit.)
Three = LBW – LBW or Leg Before Wicket is slightly more complicated. If the batter misses the ball, but it is blocked with a part of their body where it could have hit the wicket, the umpire must make the decision of whether it would have been out or not. Basically, if you missed the ball and it hit you and then you moved yourself from the position, if the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps you are out. If it wouldn’t have or if you get an edge (small hit) from your bat or glove on the ball you are not.
Four = Stumped – If a batter misses the ball and in attempting to play it steps outside their crease, they are stumped if the wicket-keeper gathers the ball and breaks the wicket with it before the batter can ground part of their bat behind their crease.
Five = Run Out – If a batter is attempting to take a run (see below), or attempting to return to their crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that batters wicket with the ball when they are out of the crease, they are out. The stumps do however have to be broken with the ball in hand, if the wickets are broken with the hand which doesn’t contain the ball or if neither hand contains the ball the batter is not out.
Six = Hit Wicket – If whilst attempting to hit a ball or taking off for a run, the batter touches and breaks the stumps they are out. This includes with the bat or dislodged pieces of the batters equipment e.g. helmet, chunk of wood, glasses etc.
How to Score Runs:
- Running between the wickets – After facing the ball, whilst it is still in play the on strike batter can run to the non-strikers end, with the non-striker doing the opposite. Swapping sides once is equivalent to one run. The batters can “swap ends” as many times as desired until A. the ball is dead or B. they are run out.
- Hitting a boundary – All cricket pitches have a boundary rope around the edge of the field, the distance of this boundary rope from the wicket varies depending on age group and gender. If the batter hits the ball and it goes over this boundary rope along the ground or after bouncing, the batter is awarded 4 runs. If the batter hits the ball in the air and it goes over the rope without bouncing, they would be rewarded 6 runs.
- Extras – The fielding side can also give runs away through extras by 5 possible means: No Balls, Wides, Byes, Leg-byes and penalty runs.
Team Structure:
First and foremost it’s crucial to note that the teams in the Hundred have NO relation to the equivalent 18 men’s counties or 8 women’s regions, apart from that they share grounds. This mean’s that none of the players or coaching staff for the county or regional sides are automatically contracted to their equivalent Hundred side. Yes – crossover is always possible and does happen, but it is not a requirement.
In addition to this, there is both a men’s and women’s tournament and although they share the same team names, location and even fixture dates they are not interlinked, meaning they are two separate tournaments. So, Southern Brave’s results in the men’s tournament do not effect the standings of Southern Brave Women vice-versa. Southern Brave men could place last in their table and tournament, with the women going on to win it.
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments consist of eight sides, based at England and Wales biggest stadia. The teams involved are: Birmingham Phoenix (Edgbaston, Birmingham), London Spirit (Lord’s, London), Manchester Originals (Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester), Northern Superchargers (Headingley, Leeds), Oval Invincibles (The Kia Oval, London), Southern Brave (The Utilita Bowl, Southampton), Trent Rockets (Trent Bridge, Nottingham) and Welsh Fire (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff).
Group Stage & Knockout Stages Format:
The eight sides all compete in eight games, playing each other once home or away and their local “rivalry” both home and away. The “rivalries” are established by geographical location and are: Phoenix (Birmingham) & Rockets (Nottingham), Spirit (London) & Invincibles (London), Originals (Manchester) & Superchargers (Yorkshire) and finally Brave (Southampton) and Fire (Wales). All eight sides are also placed in one group as highlighted through the way the games are played.
All of the games are played in a double header format – meaning that the same game happens twice, on the same ground, on the same day, one after the other. With the women’s sides facing each other first, followed by the equivalent men’s sides.
Once all the teams have played their eight fixtures, the team placed 1st in the table will automatically qualify to the Final of the tournament, this year being played on Sunday the 18th of August at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Last year (2023) Southern Brave achieved this in the women’s tournament with Oval Invincibles achieving the automatic qualification in the men’s side of proceedings. The 2nd and 3rd placed teams in each table will go on to play in an eliminator, with the winner qualifying and joining the 1st placed team in the final. This year the eliminator will be played the day before the final, on Saturday 17th August at the Kia Oval, London. The teams placed 4th all the way through to 8th are knocked out after the group stage and cannot advance any further into the tournament.
Player Selection:
All eight women’s sides have 15 available squad places/contracts, with the men having 16. For the first time, 2024 will see all 15 places filled through a draft process made up of four stages.
- Retention -> Teams in the women’s competition will be able to retain a maximum of eight players, teams in the men’s competition will be able to retain a maximum of 10. These players have to have been a part of the 2023 squad, hence the ability to retain. Each side can only retain one ECB centrally contracted player and one overseas player.
- The Draft -> Teams take turns picking from a pool of domestic and overseas players. Strict salary bands must be followed, this helps ensure that teams can’t just buy all the top talent. The amount of squad positions which teams need to fill will vary depending on how many players they decided to retain. The picks are done in reverse order, meaning that the side that finished bottom of the table last year will pick first. Each team can have up to 3 overseas players. I will release more details regarding this stage of the draft when this years rules are confirmed.
- The Vitality Wild Card Draft -> Two or three of the lowest salary slots in all sides will be left open for the Vitality Wildcard Draft. This allows those who are unlikely to get picked up in the official draft stage opportunity to play in the tournament and helps uncover younger or undiscovered talent.
- Designated marquee player – Following the draft, each team will nominate one player as a “designated marquee player”, who if required can be replaced by a fourth overseas or domestic player. However, each team can still only select a maximum of three overseas players in a playing XI.
Women’s Salary Bands:
1. 50,000
2. 50,000
3. 40,000
4. 40,000
5. 30,000
6. 30,000
7. 17,500
8. 17,500
9. 14,000
10. 14,000
11. 11,000
12. 11,000
13. 8,000
14. 8,000
15. 8,000
Men’s Salary Bands:
- 125,000 (ECB Central Contract)
- 125,000
- 125,000
- 100,000
- 100,000
- 75,000
- 75,000
- 60,000
- 60,000
- 50,000
- 50,000
- 40,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 30,000 (WILDCARD)
- 30,000 (WILDCARD)
Draft Order:
Men’s -> Northern Superchargers, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, Southern Brave, Manchester Originals, Oval Invincibles.
Women’s -> Birmingham Phoenix, Manchester Originals, London Spirit, Oval Invincibles, Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave.
2024 Fixtures (All Games Double Headers & in BST):
- Tuesday July 23: Oval Invincibles v Birmingham Phoenix, The Kia Oval. Women’s 2.45pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Wednesday July 24: Southern Brave v London Spirit, Utilita Bowl. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Thursday July 25: Manchester Originals v Welsh Fire, Emirates Old Trafford. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Friday July 26: Northern Superchargers v Trent Rockets, Headingley. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.35pm
- Saturday July 27: London Spirt v Birmingham Phoenix, Lord’s. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.35pm
- Sunday July 28: Welsh Fire v Oval Invincibles, Sophia Gardens. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.35pm
- Monday July 29: Manchester Originals v Trent Rockets, Emirates Old Trafford. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.35pm
- Tuesday July 30: Northern Superchargers v Southern Brave, Headingley. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.35pm
- Wednesday July 31: Trent Rockets v Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Bridge. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Thursday August 1: London Spirit v Welsh Fire, Lord’s. Women’s 11.30am, Men’s 3pm
- Thursday August 1: Southern Brave v Manchester Originals, Utilita Bowl. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Friday August 2: Oval Invincibles v Northern Superchargers, The Kia Oval. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Saturday August 3: Birmingham Phoenix v Southern Brave, Edgbaston. Women’s 11am, Men’s 2.30pm
- Saturday August 3: Trent Rockets v Welsh Fire, Trent Bridge. Women’s 2.30pm, Men’s 6pm
- Sunday August 4: London Spirit v Oval Invincibles, Lord’s. Women’s 11am, Men’s 2.30pm
- Sunday August 4: Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals, Headingley. Women’s 2.30pm, Men’s 6pm
- Monday August 5: Welsh Fire v Southern Brave, Sophia Gardens. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Tuesday August 6: Manchester Originals v Oval Invincibles, Emirates Old Trafford. Women’s 11.30am, Men’s 3pm
- Tuesday August 6: Birmingham Phoenix v Northern Superchargers, Edgbaston. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Wednesday August 7: Trent Rockets v London Spirit, Trent Bridge. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Thursday August 8: Welsh Fire v Northern Superchargers, Sophia Gardens. Women’s 11.30am, Men’s 3pm
- Thursday August 8: Oval Invincibles v Southern Brave, The Kia Oval. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Friday August 9: London Spirit v Manchester Originals, Lord’s. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Saturday August 10: Southern Brave v Trent Rockets, Utilita Bowl. Women’s 11am, Men’s 2.30pm
- Saturday August 10: Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix, Sophia Gardens. Women’s 2.30pm, Men’s 6pm
- Sunday August 11: Oval Invincibles v London Spirit, The Kia Oval. Women’s 11am, Men’s 2.30pm
- Sunday August 11: Manchester Originals v Northern Superchargers, Emirates Old Trafford. Women’s 2.30pm, Men’s 6pm
- Monday August 12: Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Rockets, Edgbaston. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Tuesday August 13: Northern Superchargers v London Spirit, Headingley. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Wednesday August 14: Southern Brave v Welsh Fire, Utilita Bowl. Women’s 11.30am, Men’s 3pm
- Wednesday August 14: Trent Rockets v Oval Invincibles, Trent Bridge. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Thursday August 15: Birmingham Phoenix v Manchester Originals, Edgbaston. Women’s 3pm, Men’s 6.30pm
- Saturday August 17: Eliminator, The Kia Oval. Women’s 2.15pm, Men’s 6pm
- Sunday August 18: Final, Lord’s. Women’s 2.15pm, Men’s 6pm
