Find out dates, schedule, TV and streaming information, odds, rules, squads, fixtures and much more ahead of the return of the women's Hundred in 2023
The third installment of The Hundred awaits us this August. The Hundred is a franchise cricket tournament played in England.
There are already two limited-overs domestic women's competitions: the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (50-over) and Charlotte Edwards Cup (T20). However, the ECB decided they wanted to make cricket more accessible and so introduced a new 100-ball competition that began in 2021 (a year behind schedule due to Covid-19).
The 2023 Women's Hundred begins at 3pm on Tuesday, August 1 with Trent Rockets hosting Southern Brave.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, August 27.
Like the name suggests, The Hundred consists of two innings, each 100 balls long.
Instead of the traditional six-ball overs found in other forms of cricket, after which there is a change of ends, The Hundred consists of five-ball sets, with a change of ends occurring every 10 balls. Bowlers are permitted to bowl up to two consecutive sets, meaning they can bowl either five or 10 balls before someone else bowls. A bowler can bowl four sets per innings.
No-balls are penalised with two runs, an extra ball and a free hit.
There is a 25-ball powerplay at the start of each innings, during which only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. After the powerplay, five fielders are allowed out. In the event of a fielding team not completing their overs quickly enough, they will be penalised by having to bring an extra fielder inside the circle for the final set.
In the event of rain, each team must face at least 25 balls for the game to count.
In the event of a tie in the league stage each team receives one point. If there is a tie in the knockout stage there will be a super five in which each team will have 5 balls to outscore each other.
Southern Brave were losing finalists in 2021 and 2022 [Mike Hewitt/Getty Images]
There are eight teams who each play eight games in the league stage, four at home and four away. Each team plays the other seven once, with an extra game against their local rivals (Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Rockets, London Spirit v Oval Invincibles, Manchester Originals v Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave v Welsh Fire).
The teams that finish second and third in the league stage progress to the Eliminator (a de facto semi-final), with the winner advancing to the final where they will face the team who finished top of the league.
Birmingham Phoenix - Edgbaston
London Spirit - Lord's
Manchester Originals - Old Trafford
Northern Superchargers - Headingley
Oval Invincibles - The Oval
Southern Brave - Ageas Bowl
Trent Rockets - Trent Bridge
Welsh Fire - Sophia Gardens
Birmingham Phoenix
Overseas: Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Erin Burns (Australia), Tess Flintoff (Australia)
Others in squad: Amy Jones, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Katie Levick, Eve Jones, Abtaha Maqsood, Chloe Brewer, Sterre Kalis, Davina Perrin, Abbey Freeborn, Charis Pavely
London Spirit
Overseas: Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Grace Harris (Australia), Richa Ghosh (India)
Others in squad: Heather Knight, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Munro, Sophie Luff, Grace Scrivens, Tara Norris, Niamh Holland, Lauren Filer, Chloe Hill, Alice Monaghan
Manchester Originals
Overseas: Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia)
Others in squad: Sophie Ecclestone, Emma Lamb, Ellie Threlkeld, Kathryn Bryce, Katie George, Liberty Heap, Phoebe Graham, Fi Morris, Ami Campbell, Amara Carr, Mahika Gaur, Laura Jackson
Northern Superchargers
Overseas: Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Georgia Wareham (Australia), Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)
Others in squad: Hollie Armitage, Linsey Smith, Bess Heath, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Marie Kelly, Aylish Cranstone, Georgie Boyce, Lucy Higham, Grace Ballinger, Grace Hall, Leah Dobson
Oval Invincibles
Overseas: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Dane van Niekerk (South Africa), Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
Others in squad: Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Hannah Rainey, Mady Villiers, Paige Scholfield, Eva Gray, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Kira Chathli, Sophia Smale, Cordelia Griffith, Claudie Cooper, Lizzie Scott
Southern Brave
Overseas: Smriti Madhana (India), Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Maitlan Brown (Australia)
Others in squad: Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole, Georgia Adams, Rhianna Southby, Danielle Gregory, Kalea Moore, Seren Smale, Ellie Anderson, Mary Taylor
Trent Rockets
Overseas: Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Alana King (Australia)
Others in squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Bryony Smith, Grace Potts, Kirstie Gordon, Josie Groves, Naomi Dattani, Alexa Stonehouse, Jo Gardner, Fran Wilson, Nat Wraith, Cassidy McCarthy
Welsh Fire
Overseas: Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Laura Harris (Australia)
Others in squad: Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Alex Hartley, Alex Griffiths, Claire Nicholas, Sarah Bryce, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Chloe Skelton, Kate Coppack
Laura Wolvaardt and Amanda-Jade Wellington topped the runs and wickets charts, respectively, in 2022 [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave contested the final for the second consecutive season and the trophy remained in the possession of the Invincibles. After restricting their opponents to 101 for 7, Oval Invincibles completed a successful chase with six balls and five wickets to spare.
Trent Rockets finished in third position, falling agonisingly short of reaching the final after Nat Sciver-Brunt's blistering 72 (36) took them to within a handful of runs of chasing 135.
Welsh Fire, however, had another disappointing season, winning just one of their six games to collect the wooden spoon.
Off the field, it was a hugely successful season, attracting 271,000 fans despite each team only playing six group matches due to the Commonwealth Games delaying the tournament's start. Over 20,000 fans attended the final at Lord's.
South African allrounder Marizanne Kapp (Oval Invincibles) was player of the match in the 2021 and 2022 finals. A player who thrives on the big stage, she was also the first player to take a hat-trick in a Women's T20I.
Amanda-Jade Wellington (then of Southern Brave, now at Manchester Originals) was far and away the best bowler in the 2022 Women's Hundred, taking 17 wickets – Lauren Bell was second on the list with 11.
ICC No.1-ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone (Manchester Originals) is always dangerous with her left-arm spin and lower-order hitting – she boasted the third-highest batting strike-rate in last year's competition.
South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt (Manchester Originals) scored the most runs in the 2022 competition while playing for Northern Superchargers, with the Originals swooping in when she was not retained.
We are still waiting for the first century in the Women's Hundred, with Beth Mooney 97 not out for London Spirit against Southern Brave the highest score to date. If you're looking for big hitting, West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin (Manchester Originals) stands out. She hit a competition-leading eight sixes in just four innings in 2022 and scored at a strike rate above 180.
Unsurprisingly double champions Oval Invincibles are the favourites to win the competition again this year, with odds of 3/1 available. Two-time finalists Southern Brave are available at 9/2 while Trent Rockets have the same odds.
All matches in the Women's Hundred will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket or Sky Sports Mix, with some being shown on Sky Sports Main Event.
The BBC will also show eight women's games free-to-air. BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live coverage of the games.
The Cricketer will provide match previews and post-match analysis of each match.
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