Cricket's The Hundred: All you need to know about the 2022 tournament

Key points: * Women’s competition starts with inaugural winners Oval Invincibles on Thursday 11 August following the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games * Men’s and women’s teams will then play on same days at same grounds again after success of opening year * Fans on the south coast in for a treat with Ageas Bowl hosting the opening men’s game and The Hundred Eliminator * Lord’s hosts The Hundred Final on Saturday 3 September * Tickets available for £5 for under 16s and free for children five and under * You can sign up at thehundred.com for priority access to tickets The Hundred’s defending champions will be the first men’s and women’s sides back into action as the competition returns this summer to thrill crowds with fast-paced cricket and even more family entertainment. Inaugural men’s winners Southern Brave will welcome Welsh Fire to the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday 3 August for the first match of the action-packed competition, which begins this year with a round of men’s derbies. The following day sees the men’s London derby between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit, before Manchester Originals host Northern Superchargers on August 5 and then Trent Rockets meet Birmingham Phoenix on August 6. Wednesday 10 August is a date to get in the diary as Birmingham Phoenix host Southern Brave at Edgbaston in a repeat of last year’s men’s final. The Hundred is a key part of an incredibly exciting summer for the women’s game, with women’s cricket featuring in the Commonwealth Games for the very first time. As a result, The Hundred women’s competition will get underway after the conclusion of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, on Thursday 11 August. Defending women’s champions Oval Invincibles will take on Northern Superchargers in the opening women’s clash, which marks the first men’s and women’s double header of the competition. The women’s teams will take the evening slot at The Kia Oval, after the men play mid-afternoon. From then on, every matchday will see women’s and men’s teams playing at the same ground on the same day, after the double header format proved a hit last year, with a record-breaking 267,000 people attending the women’s matches across the competition. Last year’s women’s finalists will meet for the first time on Sunday 14 August with Southern Brave travelling to take on Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval. Due to the delayed start of the women’s competition because of the clash with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, for this summer only, the women’s group stage will consist of six matches per team, with the men’s teams playing eight. The group stages will end on Wednesday 31 August before the second and third placed men’s and women’s teams face each other at the Ageas Bowl in The Hundred Eliminator on Friday 2 September. The winners will face the top ranked men’s and women’s team in The Hundred Final on Saturday 3 September at Lord’s. Tickets will remain unbelievable value for families with prices set at £5 for under 16s and free for children aged five and under. There will be even more activities around the ground to entertain families alongside the world class cricket on the pitch. And ticket buyers will be able to choose their own seats this year with family-friendly zones in every venue. Fans will be able to get their hands on tickets in two priority windows, firstly for 2021 ticket holders and members in late February and a second window on 31 March for anyone who has signed up via thehundred.com. Tickets will then go on general sale on 20 April. Games will once again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC throughout the competition after more than 16m tuned in to watch The Hundred on TV alone in 2021. Sanjay Patel, Managing Director for The Hundred said, “The Hundred helped grow the game last year. With more than 500,000 tickets sold and issued and 16 million watching on TV – with half of them being new to cricket - we saw a new audience enjoying the game for the first time. We can’t wait to build on that this year, bringing world class cricket and an incredible family day out to fans across England and Wales.” Alice Capsey, who starred for women's winners Oval Invincibles in 2021, said, “Last year was such an exciting year for the women’s game. Playing in the opening match of the competition and winning the first-ever Final of The Hundred are moments that I will never forget. I still remember seeing all the fans at the Oval for the first game, there were so many young girls, it was so special. I’m sure the second year of the women’s competition is going to be even more exciting. Everyone involved will be desperate to get going again and hopefully we can bring even more fans to the game.” Tymal Mills, a winner with Southern Brave last year, added, “The team can’t wait to get going again to try to defend our title this summer. The support we received last year at the Ageas Bowl was incredible and it’s really special that the second year of The Hundred will start there on 3 August. I hope there's a full house cheering the team on and the fans get a real show.” The first year of The Hundred saw 510,000 tickets sold and issued as the competition welcomed new and existing fans. Grounds across the country posted sell-outs and 19% of all tickets sold were for under 16s. 55% of ticket buyers for The Hundred hadn’t bought a ticket for cricket in this country before while attendances across the competition were the highest for a women’s cricket event globally ever.