London Spirit edged Welsh Fire in a thriller to claim the trophy for the first time in the women's final; Oval Invincibles retained their trophy in the men's competition after beating Southern Brave; stakes in all eight teams of the competition are set to be sold this autumn
Tuesday 20 August 2024 08:48, UK
The fourth edition of The Hundred concluded in a brilliant fashion with a tense finish in the women's final between London Spirit and Welsh Fire and defending champions Oval Invincibles retaining the men's trophy.
The tournament has continued to grow, particularly on the women's side, with seven of the competition's eight venues breaking the record for women's attendance, including a crowd of 22,000 at Lord's for the final.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also announced that 540,000 tickets were sold for this year's competition, with a total of over two million being sold across the four years.
"The hope is that it gets bigger and better and I think that is inevitable," said Sky Sports' Eoin Morgan.
"With private investment that will bring a bigger scale, even better and more consistent players across all eight teams.
"Over the last four years we've watched crowds just streaming. We still have kids queuing round the corner at the end of the game waiting for photos, selfies, autographs.
"We want to see this for longer periods up and down the country, not just in London. There will always be crowds in London but my hope and expectation is that it will get bigger and better."
The ECB has agreed to sell stakes in the eight Hundred teams later this year and, according to the ECB chief executive Richard Gould, private investment will strengthen the position of women's cricket.
The eight hosts of the teams will be given a 51 per cent stake, which they can sell or keep, with the remaining 49 per cent in each team sold by the ECB.
Money raised from selling the 49 per cent stakes in each team will be distributed between the 18 first-class counties, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the recreational game.
According to England seamer Kate Cross, talent across the women's side was distributed more evenly, making the competition more open.
"That was something that the draft intended to do. The Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles were really strong competitors in the tournament and the draft aimed to displace a bit of the talent and move it around," Cross said.
"That's what happened this summer. There was one point between play-offs and missing out. It goes to show just how close it all was and every game literally mattered.
"The Oval Invincibles have been pretty been pretty dominant in the last four years in some way or another. The women won it the first two years and the men have won the last two. They have created something quite special at The Oval.
"That's what I have loved about The Hundred. It's the affinity that some teams have created now. When it started, there was some people not being that positive about it, but what it's shown now is that people are going to watch."
The game went down to the wire in the women's final as London Spirit edged Welsh Fire by four wickets to claim their first Hundred trophy after Deepti Sharma smashed a six off the penultimate ball of the final set.
"There were so many times in the women's game where I thought the game was over but it still went down to the last ball of the final five and it felt like you were never out the game," said former England seamer Stuart Broad.
"In the women's game, it's been very tight and created pressure and a lot of tension. The atmospheres around the grounds have also been lifted. It was awesome. It was a real spectacle.
"The game was on the line and it was knockout cricket. I think it had a real international feel to it."
The exciting finals at Lord's were a testament not only to how The Hundred has expanded over the last four years but also the growth of the women's game, and with private investment on the cards in the near future, the tournament will be getting "bigger and better."
England's three-Test series against Sri Lanka gets under way at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday. Watch live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am (first ball at 11am).
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