The Hundred 2021
2021 · 8 teams · T20 cricket
Tournament Overview
Series Overview
The inaugural Hundred in 2021 was one of English cricket's bravest experiments and one of its most successful. The England and Wales Cricket Board created an entirely new competition with a new format — 100 balls per innings instead of 120 — with new teams, new city identities, and a deliberately accessible marketing approach targeting new fans who had never watched cricket before. The cynics were plentiful. The results were transformative. Southern Brave won the first Men's Hundred competition at Lord's, defeating Birmingham Phoenix by 32 runs in the final. Paul Stirling's batting had been the standout individual performance — explosive, incisive, and match-winning. The Oval Invincibles won the inaugural Women's title. Across both competitions, the tournament had done what it set out to do: bring diverse crowds of new fans to cricket grounds, many of them young and many of them from communities where cricket had not previously been a part of daily life. The BBC and Sky combined to broadcast the tournament, meaning it reached an audience beyond cricket's traditional subscriber base. A new format had arrived — and cricket in England had been changed.
Key Highlights
- 1Southern Brave won the inaugural Men's Hundred title at Lord's, defeating Birmingham Phoenix by 32 runs
- 2Paul Stirling was the standout batsman in the final — his explosive hitting set up Brave's winning total
- 3The Women's Hundred was won by Oval Invincibles, beginning a dynasty in the women's competition
- 4The format — 100 balls per innings — was embraced by crowds despite early scepticism from traditionalists
- 5Cricket's newest franchise format launched to packed crowds at Lord's, proving the concept had mainstream appeal