Blackpool bowler Richard Gleeson in Manchester Originals squad as fixtures are revealed for historic Hundred

The 100-ball tournament (20 fewer per innings than a T20), will launch with a standalone women’s match featuring Manchester Originals.

They will take on the Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval on July 21, then the men’s sides from the same clubs will meet the following day.

It is the first major UK team sporting event to launch with men’s and women’s competitions side by side, and the women’s match leading the way.

The inaugural tournament, held over from last year, will be broadcast on Sky and the BBC and features eight new teams representing seven cities (London has two).

Newly announced Manchester Originals signing Sophie Ecclestone said: “The thought of making history and potentially bowling the first ball of The Hundred is really exciting.

“It is fantastic news that the competition is launching with a women’s match and we can’t wait to get The Hundred off to the best possible start.”

It will see men’s and women’s matches played on the same day at the same venue, with both finals at Lord’s on August 21.

The league winners will progress straight to the final, while the second and third-placed teams will play off at Kia Oval for the right to join them.

The tournament has been scheduled for the school summer holidays, with a view to attracting more families to games.

The group stage will take place between July 21 and August 18. The Originals teams will play eight fixtures, four at Emirates Old Trafford and four away.

They will play the Leeds-based Northern Superchargers twice and each other team once.

Wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran and paceman Kagiso Rabada were among 10 new arrivals for Manchester Originals as they rounded out their squad.

The Originals had 10 slots to fill as teams completed their men’s squads and got the top pick, which they used to bring in 25-year-old Pooran, who has averaged 49.05 in 25 One Day Internationals for the West Indies.

Rabada, also 25, last month became only the eighth South African to reach 200 Test wickets, doing so in 44 matches

Originals head coach Simon Katich alsosnapped up Jamie Overton, Harry Gurney, Shadab Khan, Tom Lammonby, Steven Finn, Colin Ackermann and Tom Hartley as well as Lancashire’s former Blackpool CC seamer Gleeson.

The new faces join Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, who were retained from last year’s planned squad.

Women’s team head coach Paul Shaw added England bowler Ecclestone to his squad, which now stands at 13.

Tickets for The Hundred will go on sale to those signed up at thehundred.com from April 7 and will then go general sale from April 21.

Adult tickets start at £10 for two games (covering a women’s and a men’s match), those for Under-16s at £5, while under-fives will be admitted without charge.

Refund policies will be in place if matches are impacted by Covid.

Mancaster Originals fixtures (all feature men’s and women’s games on the same day except opening round at Kia Oval):

July 21: Oval Invincibles (women), Kia Oval

July 22: Oval Invincibles (men), Kia Oval

July 25: Birmingham Phoenix, Emirates Old Trafford

July 28: Northern Superchargers, EOT

July 31: Welsh Fire, Sophia Gardens

August 5: Southern Brave, EOT

August 10: London Spirit, EOT

August 12: Northern Superchargers, Emerald Headingley

August 15: Trent Rockets, Trent Bridge

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