The Hundred can make cricket more diverse, says Adil Rashid

THE HUNDRED as a tournament will make cricket "for all" and more diverse when it gets started this summer, England's Adil Rashid said.

The 100-ball tournament which was supposed to launch last year got delayed due to the pandemic and will now start on July 21 with a women's match Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals.

"The aim of The Hundred is to get the new generation of cricketers coming in," said leg-spinner Rashid at a Dynamos Cricket event, which helps young children aged eight to 11 get more involved in the sport and gives them the opportunity to play with professional cricketers.

"There will obviously be some of the same crowd as well, but to get different age groups, ethnicities, backgrounds, gender, religion, male, female - it's basically for all.

"The whole purpose of this (Dynamos) event is to get people talking, and that word goes out and we can get kids involved in cricket, who weren't interested before."

Rashid's fellow Northern Superchargers player Phoebe Graham believes the tournament having a huge impact on the youngsters.

"I think the one thing cricket has been missing for a number of years is equality and enabling girls to see what they could be in the future.

"I think it will have a huge impact on both boys and girls' participation," Graham, who left her job as a marketing lead at Sky after becoming one of 41 women handed full-time domestic contracts by the England and Wales Cricket Board, said.

Superchargers captain Lauren Winfield-Hill talking about the new format, said: "It's T20 but crazier, faster, more entertaining.

"You have to be more aggressive with tactics, you've got 20 balls less to deal with so the game is going to be a lot more positive by batters, bowlers and fielders."