The Hundred blazes a trail as it launches with a women’s match

• The Kia Oval to host opening game with Oval Invincibles taking on Manchester Originals in a standalone women’s match on 21 July – men’s teams follow suit next day
• Men’s Draft picks and new signings for all eight women’s sides to be announced across the day on 23 February
• Tickets will go on sale for The Hundred from 7 April in a priority window for those that have signed up at thehundred.com.

• Competition aims to open cricket up to more families and young people, with world-class action on the pitch and blockbuster entertainment off it

• Lord’s to host The Hundred Final (men’s and women’s) with the The Hundred Eliminator taking place the day before at the Kia Oval. All games will be broadcast live on Sky with extensive coverage by BBC

The Hundred will make history in its opening fixture as it launches with a women’s match. The action-packed new 100-ball competition – designed to open cricket up to more families and young people - will start with Oval Invincibles hosting Manchester Originals at The Kia Oval on Wednesday 21 July before the same two men’s sides follow suit the following day.

It will be the first time a major UK team sporting event has launched men’s and women’s competitions alongside each other and headlined with a women’s match. The match will be televised live on Sky and BBC.

Newly announced Manchester Originals signing Sophie Ecclestone said: “The thought of making history and potentially bowling the first ball of The Hundred is really exciting. It is fantastic news that the competition is launching with a women’s match and we can’t wait to get The Hundred off to the best possible start.”

Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition, said: “Opening The Hundred with a standalone women’s match represents a historic moment, not just for cricket and women’s cricket, but more widely for sport. We are really proud to be able to make this announcement, and I cannot wait to see our brilliant female players walk out at the Kia Oval on 21 July. The schedule really epitomises how The Hundred is changing the game – putting gender-balance at its heart and presenting men and women on the same platform, with the same scale of ambition from the very start.”

The Hundred aims to make cricket more accessible to families and young people by fusing world-class, fast-paced cricket with family-friendly entertainment off the pitch. It features eight brand new teams based in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton and two in London.

The entire competition, including all men’s and women’s games will be broadcast live on Sky. The Hundred will also be covered extensively across the BBC, including live television coverage of 10 men’s games and up to eight live women’s matches, including The Hundred Final and the women’s opening game.

After the opening two matches, the rest of the schedule will see the men’s and women’s teams both playing on the same day, at the same venue, with the ambition to elevate women’s cricket through The Hundred. Tickets are incredibly good value for money and give fans the chance to see a women’s and a men’s game, plus added entertainment throughout.

Some of the key fixtures are:

• In the opening weekend (24-25 July), Trent Rockets host Southern Brave, Northern Superchargers welcome Welsh Fire and London Spirit take on Oval Invincibles in the first derby of The Hundred
• Manchester Originals face Northern Superchargers at Emirates Old Trafford on 28 July with the reverse fixture on 12 August
• Birmingham Phoenix welcome Trent Rockets to Edgbaston on 1 August
• The group fixtures end on 18 August with London Spirit travelling to Cardiff to take on Welsh Fire

The teams finishing second and third in the league stage will meet each other at the Kia Oval in The Hundred Eliminator on Friday 20 August to compete for a place in The Hundred Final against the league winners. Both the men’s and women’s finals will take place the following day on 21 August at Lord’s.

Manchester Originals star Jos Buttler said: "It is brilliant that we'll be involved in the opening two games of The Hundred and that the competition is kicking off with a women's game. The rest of our squad will be announced today and I’m sure both ourselves and Oval Invincibles will take to the field with sides full of quality come the opening fixtures.”

Tickets for The Hundred will go on sale to those signed up at thehundred.com through a priority window on 7 April, with general sale beginning on 21 April. Affordability for families has been prioritised with tickets for U16s at £5 and adult tickets starting at £10 for two games (women’s and men’s match) while kids U5 go free. Refund policies will be in place if matches are impacted by Covid.

Visit thehundred.com to find out more and to sign up for priority ticket access.

ENDS

Full list of fixtures (all are both men’s and women’s matches unless stated)

21 July Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals (women’s), Kia Oval

22 July Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals (men’s), Kia Oval

23 July Birmingham Phoenix v London Spirit, Edgbaston

24 July Trent Rockets v Southern Brave, Trent Bridge

Northern Superchargers v Welsh Fire, Emerald Headingley

25 July London Spirit v Oval Invincibles, Lord’s

Manchester Originals v Birmingham Phoenix, Emirates Old Trafford

26 July Trent Rockets v Northern Superchargers, Trent Bridge

27 July Welsh Fire v Southern Brave, Sophia Gardens

28 July Manchester Originals v Northern Superchargers, Emirates Old Trafford

29 July London Spirit v Trent Rockets, Lord’s

30 July Southern Brave v Birmingham Phoenix, Ageas Bowl

31 July Welsh Fire v Manchester Originals, Sophia Gardens

Northern Superchargers v Oval Invincibles, Emerald Headingley

01 August Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Rockets, Egdbaston

London Spirit v Southern Brave, Lord’s

02 August Oval Invincibles v Welsh Fi, Kia Oval

03 August London Spirit v Northern Superchargers, Lord’s

04 August Birmingham Phoenix v Oval Invincibles, Edgbaston

05 August Manchester Originals v Southern Brave, Emirates Old Trafford

06 August Welsh Fire v Trent Rockets, Sophia Gardens

07 August Southern Brave v Northern Superchargers, Ageas Bowl

08 August Oval Invincibles v Trent Rockets, Kia Oval

09 August Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire, Edgbaston

10 August Manchester Originals v London Spirit, Emirates Old Trafford

11 August Southern Brave v Welsh Fire, Ageas Bowl

12 August Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals, Emerald Headingley

13 August Trent Rockets v Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Bridge

14 August Oval Invincibles v London Spirit, Kia Oval

15 August Trent Rockets v Manchester Originals, Trent Bridge

16 August Southern Brave v Oval Invincibles, Ageas Bowl

17 August Northern Superchargers v Birmingham Phoenix, Emerald Headingley

18 August Welsh Fire v London Spirit, Sophia Gardens

20 August Women's and Men's Eliminator, Kia Oval

21 August Men's and Women's Finals, Lord’s

About The Hundred

The Hundred is a brand new sports competition launching this summer. It fuses blockbuster entertainment with world-class cricket, inviting everyone to fall in love with the game at its intense, electrifying and incredible best.

Combining a new short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond sport, The Hundred will make cricket more accessible to reach a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.

The Hundred will feature eight brand new teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side: Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Each team will feature some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners.

Games will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports and BBC throughout the competition – so whether in ground or watching from home – you’ll be right amongst all the action.

Join us for the latest news and priority access to tickets by signing up at thehundred.com

Tickets

Tickets to the 2021 edition of The Hundred will be available to buy during four sales windows in the lead up to the competition this summer.

County Members will have first chance to get tickets, followed by people who bought tickets for the 2020 competition. Eligible members will be contacted directly by their county, and 2020 buyers will be contacted directly by The Hundred with more detail on these opportunities.

The Priority Window will then open to all those signed up to The Hundred, from 7^th – 18^th April – anyone not yet signed up can do so at www.thehundred.com to get access to this window. The General Sale will start from 21^st April and is open to anyone to buy tickets.