The Hundred 2023: The women’s and men’s elimination matches will take place at the Kia Oval on Saturday, with the winners advancing to the finals at Lord’s on Sunday.
Here is everything you should be aware of and things to watch out for.
Who will perform and when?
Here are the crucial match dates and times (all times BST):
On Saturday
Northern Superchargers women versus Welsh Fire women at 14:30
Manchester Originals men vs. Southern Brave men at 18:00
On Sunday
Southern Brave women versus Northern Supercharger women/Welsh Fire women at 14:15.
Oval Invincibles vs. Manchester Originals vs. Southern Brave men at 18:00
| The Hundred, eliminators and finals day |
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| Venue: The Kia Oval and Lord’s Date: Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 August Times: 14:30 BST & 18:00 (Sat), 14:15 & 18:00 (Sun) |
| Coverage: Both finals and the women’s eliminator live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online. Radio commentary on all four matches, plus live text, clips and analysis on the BBC Sport website |
One or two fresh champions?
Two-time champions Oval Invincibles could only finish fifth in the group stage, ensuring that the women’s competition will have a first-time victor.
Southern Brave, who lost the previous two finals to Invincibles, will be hoping for third time to be the charm. Welsh Fire would complete a remarkable turnaround if they won the trophy after finishing last in the standings in each of the previous two seasons, while Northern Superchargers are also making their first appearance in the elimination round.
Southern Brave, who won the inaugural men’s competition in 2021, may attempt to repeat as champions. Their opponent in the elimination round, Manchester Originals, lost to Trent Rockets in last year’s championship.
Oval Invincibles, who finished first in their group and advanced directly to the final, are participating in the knockout phases for the first time.
Goodbye to World Cup legends
This weekend, Alex Hartley of the Welsh Fire and Anya Shrubsole, captain of the Southern Brave, will retire from cricket. Hartley and Shrubsole won the 2017 Women’s World Cup with England.
Shrubsole played 173 matches for England across all formats, taking 227 wickets, including six in a man-of-the-match performance against India in England’s historic World Cup final victory at Lord’s.
During her 19-year professional career, she also played domestic cricket for Somerset, Western Storm, Perth Scorchers, Berkshire, and Southern Vipers.
Shrubsole told BBC Radio 5 Live, “I knew I was retiring before this competition and you have that hope you’ll make it to the final, but I often find that sport isn’t kind, so I feel incredibly fortunate that the team has performed so well and we get to play in the final.”
Hartley, like Shrubsole, played a crucial role in England’s successful World Cup campaign, finishing as their second-highest wicket-taker and capturing 2-58 in the final.
After making her début against Pakistan in 2016, she played 32 matches for England in all formats.
The 29-year-old is also a member of the Test Match Special commentary crew for the BBC and co-hosts the No-Balls podcast with Thunder teammate Kate Cross.
Who should I watch for?
This weekend, there will be world-class talent on display everywhere you look.
Manchester Originals have England white-ball captain and tournament leading scorer Jos Buttler and new England bowler Josh Tongue, while Saturday’s opponents Southern Brave have the experienced pace tandem of Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan, as well as the burgeoning talent of teenager Rehan Ahmed.
Sam Curran, the tournament’s most valuable player at last year’s Twenty20 World Cup, is playing for the Oval Invincibles alongside Gus Atkinson, who has just been called up to the England squad for the first time.
Women’s competition is equally formidable
Smriti Mandhana, the most expensive player in this year’s inaugural Indian Women’s Premier League, begins the batting for the Southern Brave alongside England’s Danni Wyatt. Additionally, England seamer Lauren Bell will begin the bowling for the team.
Welsh Fire have South Africa’s all-time white-ball wicket-taker Shabnim Ismail and England’s Tammy Beaumont, who scored the first hundred in the women’s Hundred earlier in the competition.
How is the competition shaping up for leading run-getter and wicket-taker?
In addition to the Hundred trophy, there are numerous individual accolades at stake.
Buttler appears likely to win the award for men’s leading run-scorer, having scored 298 runs thus far, 85 more than any other player this weekend. The women’s competition is much tighter, with only 32 runs separating the top five competitors, all of whom are still in play.
Brave spinner Georgia Adams appears likely to finish with the most wickets, with Fire seamer Ismail and Superchargers spinner Wareham trailing by five.
If Mills is able to lead Brave to victory, he will maintain his position atop the men’s bowling rankings with 15 wins.
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How to view on television and throughout BBC
Regardless of how you wish to keep up with The Hundred this weekend, BBC has you covered.
Both finals are broadcast live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sport online, beginning at 14:00 on Sunday and continuing until 21:30.
The women’s elimination match will also be broadcast live on BBC on Saturday at 14:15.
BBC Sounds will also provide radio commentary for all four matches, while the BBC Sport website and app will provide live text updates, video snippets, and analysis alongside TV and radio coverage.
The TV and radio commentary team consists of Isa Guha, Alison Mitchell, Melissa Story, and Henry Moeran, with Suzie Bates, Carlos Brathwaite, Sophie Devine, Michael Vaughan, Tash Farrant, Phil Tufnell, and Steven Finn providing expert analysis.
The Brit Award-winning band Rudimental will perform between the two matches on finals day at Lord’s.
