TimesofIndia.com London: The summer of cricket continues unabated in England. The men’s team played three Tests against New Zealand, five T20Is and three ODIs against India. As for women, there is the T20 World Cup and a one-off Test between India and England. Now it’s the turn of the Hundred People’s Day, which starts on July 21st.The Hundred, a unique tournament featuring 100 balls, returns for its sixth edition. A lot has changed, but not much has changed either. It still has eight teams, it still has 100-over innings, bowlers can bowl five or 10 balls in a row, it’s still objectively designed to speed up the game and have a men’s and women’s double header on the same day.On the opening day, defending men’s champions MI London defeated Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. In the first match of the day, Sunrisers defeated MI London by 7 wickets in the women’s match. A day later in Southampton, Southern Brave Women narrowly defeated Welsh Fire. The opposite result occurred in the men’s race later in the day.What has changed is ownership, team names and jersey designs. After injecting £520 million into The Hundred, the Ambani family bought Oval Invincibles (now MI London), Sun Group bought Northern Superchargers (now SunRisers Leeds) and RPSG Group bought Manchester Originals (now Manchester Supergiants). GMR Group, co-owner of Delhi Capitals, already holds a 49% stake in Southern Brave.The atmosphere on the opening day of the season at The Oval was as relaxed as one would expect at this time of year. The sun was out and it was a lovely day away from the sweltering heat that this country has been experiencing for the past few months. Even though it was a weekday, there were plenty of families out and about, taking advantage of the many entrances to this cricket ground in Kennington.The hosts have lost three consecutive Tests at the venue. It was here that New Zealand beat England by 253 runs just a month ago. It was here almost a year ago that Mohammed Siraj bowled a blistering delivery that helped India level the series by six runs.But now, on Tuesday, the Hundred begins and the buzz is about cricket, family and fun. A father holds the hands of his two children and walks around, seeking help from his housekeeper to find the “family zone.” Unlike international cricket matches, where tickets cost £100 or more, The Hundred hopes to appeal to the masses at a reasonable price.Children aged two and under are free, children aged 3-15 cost £5 and adults cost as little as £14. So a young family could spend £30 to £40 to watch two cricket matches in a row, lasting around five hours or more.To unwind after a long day at work, numerous food trucks, kiosks and drink stands come to the rescue. From Middle Eastern flavors to fast food to Indian cuisine, there is everything to suit the tastes of customers. You can enjoy a variety of soft drinks, beers, cocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages. Perhaps most importantly, different flavors and styles of ice cream are exactly what young people want.There is a huge difference in the quality of atmosphere between the Indian Premier League as a mature cricket league and the top 100 teams that have yet to find their footing. Now, with IPL franchises and Indian conglomerates investing in The Hundred, its path is set to move forward, largely thanks to a family-oriented approach.
