Trent Bridge, the home of men’s reigning champions Trent Rockets, will host the opening fixtures of this year’s Hundred on August 1, with the final once again scheduled for Lord’s, on August 27.
As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, this year’s tournament will played in a reduced four-week window, to avoid a clash with the summer’s men’s international schedule that has restricted the availability of many of the tournament’s marquee players in its previous two seasons.
To enable this shortened window, all of the rounds will be played as men’s and women’s double-headers – a change from both 2021, when the tournament opened with a standalone women’s fixture at the Kia Oval, and 2022, when the women’s event was delayed by the concurrent Commonwealth Games – while there will be eight “double-double-header” days, on which four matches will be played.
In a further change to the 2022 schedule, the eliminator will be played in London – at The Oval – on the eve of the Lord’s final, following criticism from, among others, Manchester Originals’ head coach, Simon Katich, who felt his team was hampered in last year’s event by having to make a late-night journey from Southampton following a thrilling win in their eliminator against London Spirit.
The Hundred’s partnership with BBC Music Introducing will be continued for the 2023 event, meaning a diverse range of artists and DJs will once again provide in-game entertainment, while ticket prices are set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10. For the first time in tournament history, both the men’s and women’s events will be preceded by drafts scheduled for Thursday, March 2nd. The deadline – the date on which retained players will be confirmed for both competitions – is expected to be Thursday, February 16th.
England hitter Lauren Winfield-Hill said: “Having lifted the trophy with my Oval Invincibles teammates last year was a career highlight I will never forget.”Join The Hundred It’s a very exciting competition to play in. The support we’ve received in every match has been phenomenal and we can’t wait to take action to defend our title this year.
“The first ever women’s draft is definitely going to bring an exciting new element to the game and it will be interesting to see how the teams shape up for another fierce competition.”
Dawid Malan, last year’s leading run-maker in the men’s competition, and a reigning champion with Trent Rockets, added:
“I have a lot of great memories from the Hundred 2022. The atmosphere in every ground was really enjoyable and winning the title at Lord’s was very special. This summer is shaping up to be massive for cricket in England and Wales and I’m really looking forward to the third year of the Hundred, playing with some of the best players in the world in front of big crowds.”
“As we enter year three, we’re looking forward to building on that momentum and putting on another unforgettable summer of world-class cricket action and entertainment that will continue to appeal to new and existing audiences alike.”
Beth Barrett-Wild, head of the women’s tournament, and of female engagement at the ECB, added:
“We are in the middle of a really special period of time for professional women’s sport, with exponential levels of growth happening across every measure of engagement, from broadcast viewing figures to match day attendances.
“Since launching in 2021, the Hundred has had a transformational impact on women’s cricket, propelling the women’s game into the mainstream, and making household names of our brilliant female players.”