New era for The Hundred - Mark Wood, Ajinkya Rahane, Katey Martin and Emilio Gay join BBC team as revamped competition returns

The Hundred returns to the BBC this July with a transformed competition featuring new ownership, new team names and some of the biggest names in world cricket joining the BBC's coverage.

As the tournament enters a new era, World Cup winner and one of the world's fastest bowlers, Mark Wood, joins the BBC's punditry line-up alongside former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane, ex-New Zealand international Katey Martin and current England Test opener Emilio Gay. Together they'll bring expert analysis across every match, with live coverage available on BBC TV, radio, the BBC Sport website, app and social media.

The competition itself has undergone its biggest evolution since launch, with new investors, refreshed team names and a range of new fan experiences at grounds across the country, as the BBC brings audiences comprehensive coverage of every ball throughout the tournament.

World Cup winners Isa Guha and Alex Hartley will be on hand to present The Hundred on BBC TV, accompanied this year by broadcaster Amber Sandhu. Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell and Sir Alastair Cook, plus World Cup winners Tymal Mills, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Dawid Malan, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Carlos Brathwaite will provide their expertise and analysis.

Alison Mitchell, Steven Finn, Aatif Nawaz, Henry Moeran, Phoebe Graham, Scott Read, Ffion Wynne, Nikesh Rughani and Melissa Story will be among those in the commentary box for the entirety of the 68 fast-paced fixtures, bringing fans pitch-side for every ball.

Fans will be at the centre of BBC TV coverage with viewers able to ask questions directly to players via the Ask the Player feature.

Move over TV presenters, the BBC cricket team will give some children attending the matches the opportunity to carry out pre-match interviews with their idols. Coverage will also follow a family who have never been to a Hundred game before and watch them experience the tournament fresh, while offering them access to the BBC commentary team for help bring the game to life.

The BBC will welcome back social media sensation Ravi, the partially sighted young cricket fan who, after going viral with his appearance on BBC Cricket last summer, will present “Ravi meets”.

The TV programme itself will receive a new twist, as each night at the close of play we will have a mini panel show delving into the thoughts of the commentators as they get asked 5 random questions, contained within 5 cricket balls that open up to reveal their question. Stay tuned for a blend of engaging analysis and fun.

16 matches – eight double headers – are available live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two, meanwhile BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds will have live commentary for every single game.

Highlights from every match will be available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, allowing fans to relive all the key matchday moments and for the first time, highlights and analysis will be available on the BBC Sport You Tube channel.

The BBC Sport website and app will also bring live scores, clips of the best of the action, selected live text commentary, breaking news, reports and interactive content. For all the best bits from the field, the BBC Sport social media accounts will provide clips from each day’s play.

Another standout event in a spectacular summer of sport, The Hundred starts on 21 July as MI London step up to the plate against Sunrisers Leeds in a double header. The tournament will end with live coverage of both the women’s and men’s finals on 16 August at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport says: “This summer has been action-packed already and The Hundred is another unmissable event for sports fans to settle in for. We have extensive TV and radio coverage, more interactive content placing our viewers and match goers at the heart of the game than ever before and a world class line-up – it doesn’t get much better than that.”

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