The fifth edition of the Hundred is now well underway and the competition is beginning to take shape, with games continuing to come thick and fast as teams battle it out for a spot in the top three.
With each side having two games under their belt after one week of action, we take a look at some of the early key talking points.
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Oval Invincibles make strong start as familiar patterns develop
The Oval Invincibles have made the perfect start in their bid to secure an impressive three-peat, with back-to-back wins against London Spirit and Manchester Originals to begin their title defence.
The manner of their victories have also been pretty ominous for the rest of the competition, taking all 20 wickets in their two games and completing subsequent run chases in rather emphatic fashion.
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 immediately showcased his class with figures of 3-11 and 3-19 respectively, in particular bamboozling London Spirit as the hosts slumped to 80 all out in the tournament opener at Lord’s, the second-lowest score in the men’s Hundred.
In game two, Tawanda Muyeye repaid the faith shown in him as Will Jacks’ opening partner, with the pair pummelling a 114-run stand – the joint-sixth highest in men’s Hundred history – in just 49 balls on their way to chasing a target of 129 against Manchester Originals with nearly half the innings still remaining.
Elsewhere, the highly-fancied Trent Rockets under new leadership of David Willey and 2024 runners-up Southern Brave have both also made 100% starts to their campaigns, whilst Birmingham Phoenix’s imposing batting lineup have yet to hit their straps after having posted two modest totals on the board.
It is a similar story in Cardiff where perennial strugglers Welsh Fire once again face an uphill battle to compete towards the top end of the league table and Manchester Originals’ miserable 2024 season is in danger of repeating itself following successive defeats.
An international return for Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran? Zak Crawley an England white ball opener?
With all the talk around England’s engrossing Test series with India and the small matter of the Ashes on the horizon, it is easy to forget this is also an important time for England’s white ball team ahead of the World T20 in February next year.
As such, the Hundred provides an important opportunity for those players harbouring hopes of breaking into Harry Brook’s side.
For two players in particular, they will be hoping their performances have done enough to warrant a recall to the international stage after time away from the squad.
Jonny Bairstow has reiterated his desire to represent England once again but at the age of 35, this appears increasingly unlikely.
The destructive hitter has not featured for the T20 side since the 2024 World T20 campaign, having also been axed from the 50-over setup following England’s dismal World Cup defence in 2023.
Bairstow smashed 116 off 54 balls for Yorkshire in the Roses clash last month and has begun the Hundred in fine form with 128 runs, including a stunning unbeaten 50-ball 86 which very nearly got Welsh Fire over the line against London Spirit from a position of seemingly no hope.
Sam Curran has also found himself on the fringes in recent times, having been overlooked since Brendon McCullum took the reins of the white ball sides at the beginning of the year.
The 27-year-old had an impressive T20 Blast campaign, scoring 296 runs and claiming 21 wickets as Surrey topped the South Group, and now has made a solid start to the Hundred with five wickets at an economy rate of less than a run-a-ball.
Named Player of the Tournament at the 2022 World T20, Curran has struggled to find consistency in an England shirt but has since developed an ‘ultra’ slower ball – clocked at 47mph in the Lord’s opener – to impressive effect and his all-round abilities could yet prove a vital component to the England side moving forward.
A name that rarely crops up in conversations around the England white ball side is current Test opener Zak Crawley, though an unbeaten 67 off 38 balls to guide his new side Northern Superchargers to victory in their first game against Welsh Fire proves he has the tools to make an impact in the shorter format as well.
Crawley has a List A record very much like his Test one – solid but unspectacular – with two half-centuries in eight ODI appearances to date.
There are more fashionable options for the T20 side but the 50-over World Cup in 2027 could be a realistic target, with his positive stroke play and established relationship with Ben Duckett at the top of the order a potential recipe for success.
Jamie Smith moved up to a previously unfamiliar role with some success against West Indies during the ODI series earlier this summer in place of Phil Salt but there remains an uncertainty around Duckett’s long-term opening partner which McCullum could see being fulfilled by a player he has backed repeatedly in the Test arena.
Welcome to the world of franchise cricket, James Anderson
One of the big headlines before the competition began was Manchester Originals’ wildcard selection of the legend that is James Anderson at the age of 43.
England’s greatest ever bowler was eager to return to white ball cricket after his international career came to a somewhat abrupt end, impressing for Lancashire with 17 wickets at an economy rate of just 7.57 in the T20 Blast.
However, his first taste of the Hundred has not started as successfully, sending down 30 balls across two matches for 61 runs and no rewards.
He was upstaged by the impressive Hampshire pace duo of Scott Currie and Sonny Baker, who shared six wickets in their narrow defeat to Southern Brave, and was on the receiving end from some clean ball striking by Jason Roy and Will Jacks.
Batting continues to prove tricky
When a 100-ball competition was introduced, the general consensus was that the balance was being tipped further towards the batting side with, in theory, an even greater licence to play attacking shots.
That has not really transpired, with the ‘Every Ball Counts’ motto proving slightly more realistic than just a cheesy marketing slogan, given the surprising amount of joy bowlers have experienced.
The scoring rate in 2024 was 1.37 runs per ball, lower than other leading franchise leagues around the world, with the average first-innings score at 144 – adjusted to 167 for standard T20 comparisons.
Only two teams have reached the 200 mark – Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers both did it twice between 2021-2023.
The controversial Kookaburra balls used for the first four seasons which had a notable tournament logo imprinted on them that acted favourably to specialist new-ball bowlers have been ditched, though the scoring in the early stages has not shown notable signs of improving.
In the first eight games of 2025, only three times has the team batting first scored more than 130 and on six of the occasions has the team lost seven or more wickets – simply good bowling or still a struggle to adapt to the change of format?
READ MORE: Lauren Winfield-Hill – Perfect pitches makes for happier Hundred
Key battles to watch in Week Two
The action continues at a pace with a number of intriguing team and individual battles to keep an eye on this coming week.
On Monday, Manchester Originals take on London Spirit which could see a former Ashes rivalry resume between James Anderson and David Warner, whilst England wicketkeepers Phil Salt and Jamie Smith also go head-to-head.
Jacob Bethell will be hoping to kickstart his campaign on Tuesday in a must-win game for Birmingham Phoenix against the leaders Oval Invincibles, who will also have the big-hitting Will Jacks eager to continue his form at the top of the order.
There is a double-header on Wednesday, featuring a potential England Test battle between Southern Brave’s Jofra Archer and the Northern Superchargers duo of Zak Crawley and Harry Brook, whilst Steve Smith will be hoping to inspire Welsh Fire to a much needed first win at home to Manchester Originals.
Trent Rockets are back in action on Thursday against London Spirit at Lord’s, where Joe Root will always be the headline act, though there is an interesting England spin battle on the cards between the experienced Liam Dawson and in-form Rehan Ahmed.
The weekday schedule rounds off with the Northern Superchargers hosting Birmingham Phoenix as Ben Duckett returns to Headingley after his famous 149 in the first Test victory over India in June.
By Dom Harris
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