Ten-ball overs, white cards for bowlers and coaching time-outs are all part of the controversial competition’s first edition
Welcome to English cricket’s anxiety dream. The Hundred is here, the tournament upon which hangs the game’s reputation, its financial future – some say its very existence. Even those who’ve had the screaming abdabs about this endeavour from the start have found themselves sucked into its dramatic eddy, even to the point of buying tickets.
Given it is a tournament that has been talked (or, more accurately, complained) about for two years, it is remarkable that we still don’t know quite what to expect. The Covid-inspired withdrawal of various overseas signings – including the Australian stars Aaron Finch, Alyssa Healy, Glenn Maxwell and Meg Lanning – has rendered the draft night pizzazz of 2019 (remember 2019?) somewhat irrelevant.
Related: The Hundred has won me over but it remains a gamble for cricket in England | Ebony Rainford-Brent
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