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The England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) new format tournament, The Hundred, got underway on Wednesday. The 100-ball format aims to target a wider audience with some of the top players from around the globe and a few tweaks to the rules coming into play.
Eight city-based teams for men and women will participate in the new tournament, with each side playing nine league games before the knockout round, with the final set to be held at Lord's.
The introduction of the latest format has created a buzz around the world with several international stars participating in this exciting and action-packed format.
On that note, let's take a look at what makes The Hundred such a unique and special tournament.
#3 A galaxy of stars assemble at the Hundred
Despite a few players opting out of the tournament, there will be an array of stars on show in The Hundred. Several well-established international cricketers from the men's and women's games are expected to set the stage on fire in The Hundred.
With cricketers from all around the world assembling under one roof, the tournament is guaranteed to attract a few eyeballs and become a truly global phenomenon.
The likes of Ben Stokes, Devon Conway and Eoin Morgan, to name a few, will be participating in the tournament. Meanwhile, the women's teams will have a lot more players from around the globe, including Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Meg Lanning, Lizelle Lee and others.
With such world class names on the show, the excitement is sky high, not only amongst the crowds but the players themselves.
The change of rules sets up for a more fast-paced brand of cricket
The tweaks to the rules in The Hundred are pretty simple and not too intricate for someone who has followed the sport. Simply put, there will be a hundred legal deliveries in each innings. However, the traditional six-ball over has been tossed and bowlers can bowl five or 10 deliveries on the trot, depending on the decisions of the respective captains. Also, each bowler can only bowl a maximum of 20 deliveries in a match.
The batting powerplay will be active for the first 25 deliveries with two fielders allowed outside the circle. The change of ends for the batters will happen after every 10 deliveries.
The bowling team will get a two-and-a-half minute timeout at any stage of the innings after the powerplay. In such a fast-paced format, the matches will be completed within two-and-a-half hours. Another change to the rules in The Hundred will see no balls costing the guilty side two runs as well as a free hit.
In case of a tie, a "Super Five" will be held instead of a Super Over. If the Super Five is also tied, the team that finished higher on the points table during the group stage will progress.
There are a few quirky rules to The Hundred as well. While no more than five fielders will be allowed on the leg-side, the over rates will have to be maintained strictly. With such unique rules that will serve the batters throughout the tournament, a rampaging and high octane tournament could be on the cards.
The Hundred can be the ultimate domestic tournament for women's cricket
Men's cricket has domestic tournaments in plenty where local and overseas players have the opportunity to shine on the big stage. The IPL is obviously the grandest of them all and ensures a billion cricket crazy fans tune in every day. But women's cricket still finds itself taking a backseat when the premier domestic tournaments come around.
The Hundred could change all of that. The men's and women's teams share the same branding and are promoted together. The prize money for the tournament will also be shared equally. It may be noted that the salary cap for both genders is still far from level.
However, due to the lack of standout domestic tournaments in the women's game, The Hundred has an opportunity to become the premier tournament for the women's game and provide a new platform for young players.
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