TimesofIndia.com in London: The summer of cricket continues unabated in England. The men played three Tests against New Zealand and five T20Is and three ODIs against India. As for the women, there was the T20 World Cup and the one-off test between India and England. And now, it’s the turn of The Hundred, which begins on July 21.The Cento, the unique tournament with 100-ball innings, is back with its sixth edition. Much has changed, and yet little has changed. It still has eight teams, it still has innings of 100 balls where the bowlers can spell five or 10 balls consecutively, and it is still objectively aimed at speeding up the game and presenting double headers – men and women – on the same day.On the opening day, defending men’s champions MI London take on Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. In the first game of the day, Sunrisers beat MI London by 7 wickets in the women’s competition. A day later, in Southampton, the Brave women of the South got the best of the Welsh Fire. And the men’s match later in the day had the opposite result.What has changed is the ownership, team names and kit designs. After a £520 million inflow into The Hundred, the Ambani family bought Oval Invincibles (now renamed MI London), Sun Group bought Northern Superchargers (now SunRisers Leeds), and RPSG Group bought Manchester Originals (now Manchester Super Giants). GMR Group, co-owners of Delhi Capitals, have taken a 49% stake in Southern Brave.On the opening day of the season at the Oval, the mood was as relaxed as you’d expect at this time of year. The sun was out, and it was a pleasant day, a far cry from the baking heat this country had seen over the past two months. Even though it was a weekday, families were out in numbers, making the most of the many entry points that take you to this cricket stadium in Kennington.A venue that has seen three consecutive Test defeats for the hosts. It was here just a month ago that New Zealand beat England by 253 runs. And it was here about a year ago that Mohammed Siraj bowled with great fire to help India secure a series level win by just 6 runs.But now, on a Tuesday, the Hundred came, and the buzz was equal parts cricket, family and fun. A father, holding the hands of two of his children, walked and sought the support of a steward to find the “family section”. Unlike international cricket, where tickets are sold for £100 or more, The Hundred hopes to bring it to the masses with a reasonable price.With children aged two and under, tickets for children aged 3-15 cost £5, and tickets for adults start from as little as £14. So a whole young family could watch two consecutive cricket matches, lasting around five hours or more, for £30-40.To relax after a long day at work, numerous food carts, kiosks and drink stalls have come to the rescue. From Middle Eastern to fast food to Indian, everything was offered to suit the patrons’ palates. To gulp it down are a range of soft drinks, beers, cocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages. Most importantly, perhaps, ice creams in different flavors and styles are just what young people are asking for.The difference in the quality of the atmosphere between the Indian Premier League, a mature cricket league, and the Hundred, which is still finding its feet, is huge. Now that there is investment from IPL franchises and Indian conglomerates in The Hundred, its way is only forward, helped largely by a family-oriented approach.
