The fifth edition of The Hundred is now well on the road and the competition is starting to take shape, with games that keep coming thick and fast while teams are fighting for a place in the top three.
With each side with two games under their belt after a week of action, we look at some of the early important points.
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Oval Invincables make a strong start as trusted patterns develop
The Oval Invincibles have made the perfect start in their attempt to obtain an impressive three-level, with back-to-back victories against London Spirit and Manchester Originals to start their deficiency defense.
The way of their victories has also been pretty ominous for the rest of the competition, taking all 20 wickets in their two games and completing subsequent runs in a fairly emphatic way.
In what is a settled core of players, the one major addition to their side was afghanistan legend rashid khan and the leg-spinner has immediatry showcased his class with figures of 3-11 and 3-19 respect-host’s slumped london’s londonit londonit londonit londonit Lord’s, The Second-Lowest Score in the Men’s Hundred.
In game two, Tawanda Muyeye has repaid the belief in him as the opening partner of Will Jacks, with the couple that a 114-run position pummelt-de joints highest in a hundred history of men-in only 49 balls on their way to a target of 129 against Manchester-Originals who still stay.
Elsewhere, the highly made Trent missiles under new leadership of David Willey and 2024 Runner-Up Southern Brave both also made 100% starts of their campaigns, while the impressive Batting Line-Up of Birmingham Phoenix has still posted their belts after they had posted two modest totals in the board.
It is a similar story in Cardiff, where multi -year wrestlers Welsh Fire are re -confronted with a tough battle to compete to the upper side of the competition table and the miserable season of Manchester Originals in the threat of repeating themselves after successive defeats.
An international return for Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran? Bag Crawley an English white balloper?
With all the talk about the fascinating at England with India and the small issue of the ashes on the horizon, it is easy to forget that this is also an important time for the white Balteam of England for the World T20 in February next year.
As such, the hundred offer an important opportunity for those players who accommodate the hope of breaking in in the side of Harry Brook.
Especially for two players they will hope that their performances have done sufficiently to justify a recall in the international stage after the team.
Jonny Bairstow has repeated his wish to re -represent England, but at the age of 35 this seems increasingly unlikely.
The destructive Slagman can no longer be seen in the T20 side since the 2024 World T20 campaign, which was also extracted from the 50-over setup after the gloomy World Cup defense of England in 2023.
Bairstow hit 116 of 54 balls for Yorkshire in the Roses collision last month and started with the hundred in fine form with 128 runs, including a stunning unbeaten 50-ball 86 that received almost Welsh fire across the line against London Spirit received no hope from a position of apparently.
Sam Curran has also been on the edge recently, after he was overlooked since Brendon McCullum took the reins of the White Ball sides at the start of the year.
The 27-year-old had an impressive T20 explosion campaign, scored 296 runs and claimed 21 wickets while Surrey de South Group was at the top and has now made a solid start of the hundred with a five wickets with an economy of less than a Run-A ball.
Called player of the tournament at the World T20 2022, Curran has trouble finding consistency in an English shirt, but since then he has developed an ‘ultra’ slower ball on 47 mph in the opener of the Heer-Tot impressive effect and his all-round skills can still prohibit the England-side component.
A name that rarely pops up in conversations around the White Ball side of England is the current test opener Zak Crawley, although an unbeaten 67 of 38 balls to guide his new side Northern Superchargers to victory in their first match against Welsh Fire proves that he also has the tools to make an impact in the shorter format.
Crawley has a list of a record, very much like his test one-solid but unpectacular with two half-century in eight ODI performances so far.
There are more fashionable options for the T20 side, but the 50-over World Cup in 2027 could be a realistic target, with its positive stroke and established relationship with Ben Duckett at the top of the order of a potential recipe for success.
Jamie Smith went to an earlier unknown role with some success against the West India during the ODI series earlier this summer instead of Phil Salt, but there remains an uncertainty about the long-term opening partner of Duckett who could see McCullum fulfilled by a player he repeatedly supported in the Testarena.
Welcome to the world of Franchise Cricket, James Anderson
One of the big headlines before the competition began was the joker language selection of Manchester Originals of the legend that James Anderson is at the age of 43.
The biggest bowler in England ever was eager to return to Witte Bal Cricket after his international career ended up a somewhat abrupt end, impressive for Lancashire with 17 wickets against an economy of only 7.57 in the T20 explosion.
However, his first taste of the hundred did not start so successfully, so that 30 balls over two games for 61 runs and no rewards are sent.
He was taken care of by the impressive Hampshire Pace -Duo by Scott Currie and Sonny Baker, who shared six wickets in their narrow defeat against Southern Brave, and was on the receiving side of a clean ball that stands out by Jason Roy and Will Jacks.
Batting remains difficult
When a competition of 100 Ball was introduced, the general consensus was that the balance was further tipped to the battle side with, in theory, an even greater license to play offensive shots.
That did not really happen, in which the motto of the ‘every ball’ turned out to be a bit more realistic than just a cheesy marketing slogan, given the surprising amount of Joy Bowlers who have experienced bowlers.
The scores speed in 2024 was 1.37 points per ball, lower than other leading franchise competitions around the world, with the average score of the first innings on 144-adjusted to 167 for standard T20 comparisons.
Only two teams have reached the 200 points originals from Manchester and Northern Superchargers did both twice between 2021-2023.
The controversial Kookaburra balls that were used for the first four seasons, which had a remarkable tournament logo that was imprinted on them that was favorable to specialized newcomers Bowlers were dumped, although the scoring in early stages has not shown remarkable signs of improvement.
In the first eight games of 2025, only three times the team scored more than 130 for the first time and the team lost seven or more wickets on six of the occasions – just bowling well or still a struggle to adapt to the change of size?
Read more: Lauren Winfield-Hill-Perfect Pitches ensures happier one hundred
Main fighting to view in week two
The promotion continues at a pace with a number of intriguing team and individual fights to keep an eye on the coming week.
On Monday, Manchester Originals will take on London Spirit, who could see a former Ashes rivement between James Anderson and David Warner, while England Wicketkeepers Phil Salt and Jamie Smith are also against each other.
Jacob Bethell hopes to start his campaign on Tuesday in a must-win match for Birmingham Phoenix against the leaders Oval Invincibles, who also want the great random Willijsten who would like to continue his shape at the top of the order.
There is a double header on Wednesday, with a potential test fight in England between Jofra Archer from Southern Brave and the Northern Superchargers duo of Zak Crawley and Harry Brook, while Steve Smith hopes to inspire Welsh Fire to a much-needed first win at Manchester Originals.
Trent Rockets are back in action against London Spirit at Lord’s on Thursday, where Joe Root will always be the headline act, although there is an interesting spin struggle in England on the maps between the experienced Liam Dawson and in-shape Rehan Ahmed.
The weekday schedule is completed with the Northern Superchargers who organize Birmingham Phoenix while Ben Duckett returns to Headingley after his famous 149 in the first test victory on India in June.
By Dom Harris
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