The second edition of The Hundred is almost upon us, with men's defending champions the Southern Brave beginning their title defence on Wednesday night (August 3) against Welsh Fire in Southampton.
The Fire finished seventh in the group stages last year and Gary Kirsten's side will be bidding to better that performance this time out, while reigning champions in the women's event - the Oval Invincibles - will return to defend their title.
With many of the women's players currently in the Commonwealth Games, the women's competition starts on August 11. That means women's and men's matches will be played on the same day, in the same location, one after the other from that date.
Here, we have all the information you need regarding the second instalment of the 100-ball competition:
What exactly is The Hundred?
The Hundred tournament has been created to showcase a simpler and faster form of cricket, with the hope of attracting new and diverse audiences to the sport. Each team bats for 100 balls in a match, and the team which scores the most runs wins.
The top finisher in the group stage will progress to the final on Saturday, 3 September at Lord's, while the teams which finish second and third meet in the eliminators round on September 2 for a place in the final.
What teams are playing in the tournament?
The teams taking part are: Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire. Each side has a men's and women's team of the same name.
The field is set to be even more competitive than last year's inaugural tournament, when a number of big-name overseas players had to pull out due to Covid. England stars including Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Nat Sciver and Heather Knight will be involved, while West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell have linked up with London Spirit in the men's competition, with West Indies superstar Andre Russell turning out for Manchester Originals. In the women's competition, many of Australia's all-conquering World Cup winners are taking part this year, plus the best of the rest.
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have withdrawn from the tournament to rest before the international Test series against South Africa, starting on August 17.
Is The Hundred being shown on TV?
Yes. BBC and Sky Sports will be broadcasting every game live between them. As for free-to-air, BBC will be showing 18 matches live on BBC TV and iPlayer (10 men's and eight women's) including both finals. Every single match will be available on Sky. Around 16.1 million fans tuned in across the span of last year's tournament.
What are The Hundred rules?
The Hundred is cricket, but not as you’ve seen it before. Each team’s batting innings will last 100 balls and whoever scores the most runs wins the match.
But rather than a bowler delivering a traditional six-ball over, the fielding side will change ends after 10 balls. Each bowler can deliver either five or 10 consecutive deliveries. The captain of each team will decide on that. Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per game.
The Hundred will be played at a frenetic, quick tempo and each match will last around two and a half hours. Both bowling sides get a strategic timeout of up to two-and-a-half minutes and the coach can discuss tactics with their players mid-game.
Each batting team will have a 25-ball powerplay, during which only two fielders from the bowling side will be allowed outside the 30-yard inner circle.
Who won The Hundred in 2021?
In the men's competition, Southern Brave were the dominant side last year and were crowned champions ahead of runners-up Birmingham Phoenix. The Brave were also the best side for much of last year's women's competition, but they slipped up in the final against Oval Invincibles.
Venues being used for The Hundred
There are eight venues being used to host the tournament: Trent Bridge in Nottingham, The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, Lord's, Old Trafford, The Oval, Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Headingley in Leeds and Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Full fixtures and start times for The Hundred 2022
Wednesday, August 3
Southern Brave v Welsh Fire
Men: 7pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Thursday, August 4
Oval Invincibles v London Spirit
Men: 6.30pm
Friday, August 5
Manchester Originals v Northern Superchargers
Men: 6.30pm
Saturday, August 6
Trent Rockets v Birmingham Phoenix
Men: 2.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Sunday, August 7
Welsh Fire v Oval Invincibles
Men: 2pm
Monday, August 8
London Spirit v Manchester Originals
Men: 6.30pm
Tuesday, August 9
Northern Superchargers v Trent Rockets
Men: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Wednesday, August 10
Birmingham Phoenix v Southern Brave
Men: 6.30pm
Thursday, August 11
Oval Invincibles v Northern Superchargers
Men: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Women: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Friday, August 12
Southern Brave v London Spirit
Women: 3pm
Men: 6.30pm
Saturday, August 13
Manchester Originals v Trent Rockets
Women: 11am
Men: 2.30pm
Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix
Women: 2.30pm
Men: 6pm
Sunday, August 14
Northern Superchargers v London Spirit
Women: 11am
Men: 2.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Oval Invincibles v Southern Brave
Women: 2.30pm
Men: 6pm
Monday, August 15
Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Rockets
Women: 3pm
Men: 6.30pm
Tuesday, August 16
Manchester Originals v Welsh Fire
Women: 3pm
Men: 6.30pm
Wednesday, August 17
Trent Rockets v Oval Invincibles
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Thursday, August 18
Southern Brave v Manchester Originals
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Friday, August 19
Birmingham Phoenix v Northern Superchargers
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Saturday, August 20
Trent Rockets v London Spirit
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Sunday, August 21
Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Monday, August 22
Welsh Fire v Southern Brave
Women: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Tuesday, August 23
Oval Invincibles v Birmingham Phoenix
Women: 3pm (BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm
Wednesday, August 24
London Spirit v Welsh Fire
Women: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Thursday, August 25
Southern Brave v Trent Rockets
Women: 3.30pm (BBC iPlayer)
Men: 7pm
Friday, August 26
Welsh Fire v Northern Superchargers
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Saturday, August 27
London Spirit v Oval Invincibles
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Sunday, August 28
Birmingham Phoenix v Manchester Originals
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Monday, August 29
Trent Rockets v Welsh Fire
Women: 3.30pm
Men: 7pm
Tuesday, August 30
London Spirit v Birmingham Phoenix
Women: 3pm
Men: 6.30pm
Wednesday, August 31
Northern Superchargers v Southern Brave
Women: 11.30am
Men: 3pm
Manchester Originals v Oval Invincibles
Women: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Friday, September 2
The Eliminator
Women: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm
Saturday, September 3
The Final
Women: 3pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
Men: 6.30pm (BBC Two + BBC iPlayer)
