This year’s edition of The Hundred promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s event – but when does the tournament start?
The 100-ball extravaganza captured the attention of 16.1 million viewers over terrestrial television, Sky Sports and online platforms.
That figure justified the major marketing and promotional campaign that the England and Wales Cricket Board embarked on. They have attempted to get new and young fans alike to watch cricket for the first time.
Men’s and women’s double-headers were also introduced to much acclaim. The opening night match, contested by the Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles women’s teams, was the most watched women’s cricket game in UK history. It had a peak audience of 1.95 million.
The ECB and The Hundred will now look to capitalise on that success in season two. The women’s Hundred starts later this year. That is because of the Commonwealth Games. However, the double-headers still remain, and organisers hope that interest in the competition grows even further.
Here is all you need to know about the 2022 edition of The Hundred:
When does The Hundred 2022 start?
The men’s edition of The Hundred 2022 gets underway on Wednesday, August 3. Defending champions, Southern Brave, will take on Welsh Fire at the Ageas Bowl. The game will get underway at 7pm UK time. Before that, the toss taking place half an hour before the start of play.
The women’s Hundred, meanwhile, starts on Thursday, August 11. Holders Oval Invincibles face Northern Superchargers at The Oval, as part of the first men’s/women’s double-header. The women’s match starts at 6:30pm UK time.
Meanwhile, both eliminators will take place on Friday, September 2, with the women’s (3pm) and men’s (6:30pm) games being played at the Ageas Bowl.
Lord’s will then host both finals on Saturday, September 3. The women’s final starts at 3pm, with the men’s final getting underway at 6:30pm.
To view the complete fixture list, click here.
The Hundred 2022 Men – Players to watch
With The Hundred seeing much more overseas availability this year – including the presence of Australian players – the standard of cricket should be even higher.
London Spirit and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be one to watch closely. The 33-year-old is one of the hardest hitters in white-ball cricket. He has smashed five centuries in T20 cricket at a strike rate of 151.66. He is also a handy off-spinner as well, with 128 T20 career wickets to his name.
Manchester Originals, meanwhile, drafted Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for this season’s competition. Until February, he was the number-one T20 spinner in world cricket. He impressed in the World T20 last year, taking 10 wickets at an economy rate of just 5.84. A leg-spinner by trade, Hasaranga can also bat, with a first-class average of over 40.
Slotting into a price bracket of £50,000 at Southern Brave, Australia’s Tim David perhaps could have earned even more. Perhaps the hardest-hitting batter in world cricket, the 26-year-old has an insane T20 strike rate of 164.79. He has just finished a stint with Lancashire in the T20 Blast, so is used to English conditions.
David is primarily a player who hits straight, but can play all around the park and will likely be dispatching plenty of bowlers into the stands this season.
On the domestic side, other players to watch include Southern Brave captain and opening batter James Vince, who led Hampshire to T20 Blast success last month. On the fringes of the England squad, the top scorer in this season’s Blast will want to push his case further.
Tom Banton, meanwhile, will look to lead Welsh Fire to glory this season at the highest price bracket of £125,000. The Somerset wicket-keeper struggled for form earlier this season, but recently smashed 126 off 120 balls in a County Championship match to play himself into form.
On the bowling front, Reece Topley will look to continue his fine England bowling from with Oval Invincibles, whilst London Spirit and Australia bowler Nathan Ellis recently impressed in the death overs with Hampshire in the T20 Blast.
The Hundred 2022 Women – Players to watch
There’s perhaps no better place to start when it comes to overseas players in the women’s Hundred than Australia wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy. One of the finest batters in world cricket, the destructive right-hander averages over 23 in T20 cricket, with a strike rate of 123.70. In the recent World Cup, she smashed a record-breaking 170 to help Australia defeat England.
West Indies batting all-rounder Hayley Matthews is one of the leading overseas contingents at Welsh Fire. She scored 260 runs from seven innings in the recent World Cup, including a century against New Zealand. The 24-year-old is also good with the ball, taking 59 T20I wickets at an average of 18.00.
On the domestic side, Manchester Originals opener Emma Lamb will be a player to keep a close eye on. She has been in incredible form for England this summer, with scores of 102, 67 and 65 in three ODI matches. Also a handy off-spinner, she took three for 42 with the ball in the latter match, and will look to have a strong Hundred.
At Oval Invincibles, 17-year-old Alice Capsey made her England debut last month. She impressed in her four T20Is, scoring her first half-century from 37 balls in her most recent match at the Commonwealth Games. She is now the youngest female player to score a half-century for her country. Further scores of 44 and 25 underline that she is a serious emerging talent, and is definitely one to watch during The Hundred. Like Lamb, she is also a talented off-spinner.
Another player to keep an eye on is London Spirit off-spinner Charlie Dean. The 21-year-old had an excellent World Cup earlier this year. She took 11 wickets – the second most of any England bowler. Most of her international success has come in ODIs, with a solitary T20I appearance to her name, but Dean will look to enhance her reputation in the shorter formats this summer.
The Hundred 2022 – How to watch in the UK
Like last year’s competition, Sky Sports and BBC have the rights to show The Hundred 2022.
Sky Sports are the key rights holders, meaning they will show every game live across their channels. Every match will be broadcast on the dedicated Sky Sports Hundred channel (Sky channel 404/Virgin 504), with most matches likely to be available on Sky Sports Main Event (Sky 401/Virgin 501). For more details on how to subscribe to Sky Sports, click here.
BBC, meanwhile, will have rights to 18 games from this year’s competition. They will be broadcast on BBC Two. The games include the women’s and men’s finals.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
