The Hundred confirmed to return from August 1

Drafts for both competitions will take place on Thursday, March 2 ahead of 68 matches being staged over four weeks immediately following the men's Ashes

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The Hundred has been confirmed to return from August 1 in a reduced four-week window.

It means no clashes with international matches with the competition starting the day after the end of the men's Ashes.

Lord's will again host Finals Day on August 27, with the Eliminators the previous day at the Kia Oval.

After 2022 saw the start of the women's competition delayed and the schedule cut due to the Commonwealth Games, both tournaments will run concurrently this summer.

There are eight double matchdays on the calendar, largely on weekends. Trent Rockets, winners of the 2022 men's title, and Southern Brave will kick off proceedings at Trent Bridge.

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The women's competition will see its first player draft in March (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Reigning women's champions Oval Invincibles begin their title defence on day two against London Spirit.

In all, 68 matches will be played over 27 days, five shorter than the 2021 and 2022 editions.

Drafts for both competitions - it will be the first for the women - will be held on Thursday, March 2. The deadline for player retentions is Thursday, February 16.

Previous ticketholders will have an exclusive window to purchase tickets between March 1-14. Priority access for those registered will be between April 5-18, with the general sale starting from April 20.

Though more 14 million people watched The Hundred matches on TV via Sky Sports and BBC, the figure was down 12 per cent from the inaugural edition.

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Young fans have flocked to The Hundred (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

It was a more positive story in the grounds, however, with all eight venues breaking attendance records for women's matches while female and child ticket sales were up 21 and 19 per cent, respectively.

The Hundred managing director Sanjay Patel said: "As we enter year three, we're looking forward to building on that momentum and putting on another unforgettable summer of world-class cricket action and entertainment that will continue to appeal to new and existing audiences alike."

Head of the women's competition and female engagement at the ECB Beth Barrett-Wild added: "We are in the middle of a really special period of time for professional women’s sport, with exponential levels of growth happening across every measure of engagement, from broadcast viewing figures to match day attendances.

"Since launching in 2021, The Hundred has had a transformational impact on women’s cricket, propelling the women’s game into the mainstream, and making household names of our brilliant female players."


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