After Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles were crowned women's and men's champions for 2023 on Sunday, we take a look back at the tournament as a whole and pick out the standout players, the most eye-catching moments and some of the most thrilling finishes from this season
Monday 28 August 2023 10:52, UK
With the conclusion of the third edition of The Hundred, we take a look at the star performers, the most eye-catching moments and the most thrilling finishes from the 2023 tournament...
Tammy Beaumont and Harry Brook both hit hundreds to not only light up the tournament but also serve as a reminder to the England selectors of what they will be missing over the coming months.
Beaumont's 61-ball 118 for Welsh Fire against Trent Rockets - the highest score in the history of The Hundred - came days before she was once again overlooked for the T20I team, with the 32-year-old still stranded on 99 appearances in that format for her country.
Brook's 41-ball century for Northern Superchargers against Fire came less than a week after he was left out of England's squad for the 50-over World Cup in India this autumn, a selection decision that has baffled Kevin Pietersen - and Piers Morgan.
The Yorkshireman was at his devastating best against Fire, scoring 22 runs from the final five balls of the innings as he moved from 83 runs off 37 deliveries to 105 off 42, slamming David Payne for four fours and a six. Brook had strolled out to the middle with his team struggling at 10-3 and proceeded to score all but 53 of his side's runs during a devastating display.
One hat-trick taken across a tournament is far from a given, let alone two - and in the space of three days.
Shabnim Ismail was the first, claiming the second hat-trick in the history of the women's competition (after Alana King), with the legendary South African pace bowler's particularly notable as it came from the final three balls of the match as Fire edged out Birmingham Phoenix by just three runs at Edgbaston.
Tess Flintoff, who had taken Phoenix to within four of victory with a terrific 55 from 45 balls, was bowled first up, before Ismail then had Erin Burns caught at short-third and Issy Wong was bowled to seal the most memorable of wins.
Tymal Mills' hat-trick for Southern Brave was, like Ismail's, the second in the men's competition (Imran Tahir took the first), plus it also came off the final three deliveries of the Fire innings, albeit in less dramatic circumstances as the Welsh side were bundled out for 87 when batting first.
Making Mills' hat-trick particularly memorable, however, was the fact that it came on his 31st birthday, the left-arm seamer showcasing all of his considerable artistry with the ball by deceiving Ben Green, Harris Rauf and Payne one by one with brilliantly-disguised slower balls.
Though the finals themselves may not have been final-ball deciders, the rest of the tournament served up so much drama.
Eventual men's winners, Oval Invincibles, developed a particular penchant for nail-biting finishes - and so often coming out on the right side of them - and that was never more evident than in their two-run win over rivals London Spirit at The Oval.
Chasing 190 to win, and still needing a massive 17 runs from the final five deliveries - with only three wickets in hand - suddenly things got interesting as Matt Critchley smashed Sam Curran's third ball for six. With another maximum required off the last ball, Curran then overstepped to set up a free-hit for the win, only to redeem himself with a dot-ball finish.
Invincibles had been involved in another thriller earlier in the tournament too, their match against Fire ending in a tie after some batting heroics from the older Curran brother this time. With 10 needed from the final three balls to win, Tom smashed Payne's next delivery for six before picking up two off the last - desperately diving in to make his ground - to ensure they avoided defeat.
Rockets too had a knack for tense finishes, both their men's and women's teams, though they came up short on a couple of such occasions. Needing 18 from the final five deliveries to beat Invincibles, Alexa Stonehouse cracked three fours in a row, resulting in just one more being needed off the final ball for a tie, only for Paige Scholfield to hold her nerve with the ball.
It was a similar story for the men when, needing a far more achievable nine to win from five against Superchargers, England left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley bowled a superb final set - removing set batter Daniel Sams in the process - to secure a thrilling three-run win.
And finally, there were two dramatic finishes for the price of one on August 4 as Brave hosted Fire, the Welsh women first hanging on to a tense four-run run win before the Brave men exacted some revenge, Mills dismissing David Willey off the final ball to clinch a two-run victory.
The Hundred's eye-catching action was not just limited to moments of magic with bat and ball, as some incredible feats of athleticism were showcased in the field too.
In an all-England affair, Joe Root - who also claimed a decent catch or two in the Ashes earlier this summer - took a blinding catch to dismiss Moeen Ali for Rockets against Phoenix, while Brook too wowed with a brilliant boundary relay effort to see off Jonny Bairstow for Superchargers against Fire.
There was a stunning diving grab by Invincibles' Ross Whiteley, as well as Nathan Ellis' spectacular catch for Spirit in the rain and Roelof van der Merwe's memorable juggling effort for Fire off his head!
Also, there were some lightning-quick reflexes demonstrated by the bowlers to haul in balls blasted back at them, with Mills, Fi Morris and Sophia Dunkley in particular hanging on to some stunning catches.
The eye-popping efforts were not just confined to the action on the field, either, with a fair few stunners taken in the crowd too - along with the odd embarrassing fail, mind you.
Leading by some distance with the bat in the men's competition was Jos Buttler (391 runs) - more than 150 clear of Finn Allen in second spot - while Danni Wyatt (295 runs) claimed top spot among the women.
With ball in hand, a pair of Brave bowlers led from the front, with Mills (16 wickets) top of the pile for the men and spinner Georgia Adams (16 wickets) finishing five better off than the next best women in a tie for second.
They have far from been the only ones to stand out over the past few weeks, however, with Phil Salt overcoming a dreadful start to the tournament to blast 86 off 32 balls for Manchester Originals in victory over Rockets, before later cracking a crucial 47 off just 17 deliveries in their stunning eliminator win over Brave - Buttler (82 off 46 balls) too firing as they successfully chased down a massive 197 to win. .
Chris Jordan forgot his primary role as devastating fast bowler to instead blast seven sixes for Brave in a blistering 32-ball 70 in a tight win over Fire early on in the tournament. As did Tom Curran in the final itself, his unbeaten 67 from 34 balls - containing five sixes - helping fire Invincibles to victory over Originals.
In the women's tournament, Nat Sciver-Brunt once again showcased just why she's the best batter in the game right now when smashing five sixes off the final six balls of the Rockets' convincing win over Spirit - the England star finishing 81 not out from 41 deliveries.
From one homegrown hero to one for the future, with 17-year-old left-arm fast bowler Mahika Gaur showcasing her considerable talent for Originals - particularly in taking 2-21 against Superchargers - and demonstrating just what convinced the England selectors to hand her a maiden call-up for the white-ball games against Sri Lanka in September.
Staying with Originals, there was Fi Morris' five-for for the side - the first in the history of the women's competition - as the off-spinner ripped through Phoenix's batting order on debut. For the men's side, Calvin Harrison put his name in lights with 5-11, the best bowling figures in the competition, against Superchargers. Both were making their debuts.
And, speaking of starring turns on debut, there was the small matter of Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson's stunning figures of 3-1 off his 20 balls on debut for Invincibles, with Originals on the receiving end on that occasion.
