The 2024 season of the Hundred came to an end on Sunday the 18th of August, 2024. It was a double-whammy for the two London sides – or two of the four, depending on how you look at it – as the women’s competition was won by London Spirit, whilst the Oval Invincibles defended their crown in the men’s version.
Here we take a look back on the whole season and how both the men’s and the women’s versions played out. We will also look at some of the key issues the format faces and what the future holds. Let’s start with a first success for the London Spirit.
Spirit Dampen Fire in Thriller
London Spirit were appearing in their first final – for men or women – and claimed their first title in a thrilling victory over the Welsh Fire. The 2024 season had its faults but what it did provide was plenty of tight games and the women’s final was one of the best of the lot.
In the end, London Spirit won by four wickets with two balls to spare but the game was closer than that in reality, as the winning runs came courtesy of a six from Deepti Sharma. With six wickets down and Sharma on 10 off 15 balls, four runs needed from three deliveries was a tougher task than she made it look.
It capped a superb end to the season for the Spirit, who only scraped into the top three due to winning their last game against the Northern Superchargers, who ultimately finished fourth. They won just four of their eight group games but came good when it mattered most.
Welsh Fire topped the pile on 11 points, level with Oval Invincibles but progressing straight to the final due to a superior net run rate. In an all-London eliminator, Spirit beat the Oval side on their own patch with ease. In the two knockout victories Georgia Redmayne made 87 runs in total and she was key to her side’s title success.
Colleague Heather Knight also had a fine campaign, and she finished second in terms of overall runs scored in the competition, with Redmayne third. Sarah Glenn took 13 wickets, including two in the final, with Redmayne just pipping her to Player of the Match on the big day.
Ovals May Just Be Invincible
We are only four full seasons into the Hundred but there is no doubt which franchise has mastered the nascent format. The Invincibles won the first two editions of the women’s and have now won the most recent two seasons of the men’s. They faced the format’s other aces, Southern Brave (who have now won and lost both a men’s and women’s final) and ultimately came through an incredibly topsy-turvy clash quite comfortably.
The Win Predictor was oscillating wildly after the Brave won the toss and chose to chase. Oval scored 147/9, which looked around par at best, but meant still that their rivals were chasing a record tally in a final. James Vince, who finished as the competition’s top scorer, made a sedate 24. However, with Alex Davies scoring 35 off 23 and Leus de Plooy 20 from 14, either side of him, the Brave looked well placed.
The Invincibles skipper, Sam Billings, marshalled his resources superbly though. His bowling changes were effective and the field was constantly being tweaked to good effect. It was the way he switched between pace and spin that really made the difference though. When Saqib Mahmood was brought back into the attack he took the key wickets of Du Plooy, Kieron Pollard and Laurie Evans in seven balls, for just one run.
That pretty much sealed the game and the England and Lancashire quick was rightly named Player of the Match. It was a worthy win, and the Invincibles had been the best team throughout the 27 days of cricket. They topped the regular-season standings and had the perfect blend with both bat and ball. Adam Zampa was the joint-leading wicket taker, with Sam Curran third; Curran also excelled with the bat, alongside the likes of Jordan Cox, Dawid Malan and Will Jacks.
Tight Finishes a Plus But Crowd Want Stars and Sixes
The Hundred has succeeded in many ways, with decent ticket sales and TV audiences (though the latter were affected by competition from the Olympics). There are also various stats illustrating that it achieved one of its main aims and attracted lots of people new to cricket, and many families.
The 2024 season also provided a decent number of tight games, including some real classics. The men’s eliminator was brilliant for the format, requiring a Super 5 after Brave tied with Birmingham Phoenix on 126. The women’s final was also tense, and won in real style with a six, whilst there were two ties in the women’s group phase, as well as various clashes that really went to the wire in both the men’s and women’s competition.
However, part of the reason we saw more close games was that scoring was generally on the low side. The number of sixes hit was well down, as were the number of totals in excess of 180. The former is around 15% down, with the latter dropping from 12 in 2023 to just two this term. Fans, especially the ones the format seeks to attract, want to see big scores and big hits, and the ball and pitches used in 2024 have not delivered.
The last issue this season, and one that has dogged the Hundred since its inception, is the lack of star names. The top England players featured a little more this year but the pay the format offers means that the world’s elite are generally unmoved. And, of course, fans want to see the best of the best, including top Indian, Australian and South African players.
The Future
Forty-nine percent of each of the existing teams, at least, will be sold before the next season comes around. Investment from IPL franchises and North America (there is even talk of Ryan Reynolds getting involved) is certain and it is believed that from 2025 payment at the upper end could increase by 100%.
That will make it far easier to attract global stars, whilst the expertise of the IPL is likely to help make The Hundred more popular and more commercially successful. There are currently no plans to add new teams, but that could well happen within the next five years, whilst talk of keeping the name and branding but switching to a 20-over format also seems premature.
It is certain that issues with the ball will be fixed next season. With a bit of help from the groundskeepers, a more batting-friendly ball, and a sprinkling of cricket royalty, the 2025 campaign should be the best yet.