The Odds On The Hundred Succeeding Are Still Slim

Upset that they didn’t invent Twenty20 cricket, England have launched a new format, The Hundred. Cricket already has the One Day game and T20, it didn’t need another short form option. However, much as the odds on The Hundred gaining the success its organizers tout are long, it has got some things right. So perhaps fans will give it a chance. Certainly online betting sites in the UK like Bet365 are doing a brisk trade in wagers on it. Maybe it’s just so crazy it’ll work. 

Much of the cricketing community laughed at the concept. England’s sour grapes about the worldwide success of T20 are manifest. They invented an entirely new match structure just to avoid confirming someone else knows better. Typical. Still, just because they created it out of spite, doesn’t mean it won’t work. The odds on The Hundred getting all the fans the organizers claim are quite long, but T20 had a rough start too. Who knows? Perhaps this is the way forward.

Certainly whilst The Hundred borders on pathetically petty, the ECB have at least tried to get some things right. They claim to be creating a game for modern, younger, fans. So they had to at least appear to pander to the sensibilities of that demographic. As you might imagine the old buffers at the ECB find this quite difficult. Still you can always bet on sports in the UK to move with the times eventually. The odds on The Hundred failing to point this out are all but zero. 

Equality Arrives But Not Quite At The Bookies

They will trumpet their promotion of women’s cricket as if it weren’t something they should have done decades ago. Better late than never. In The Hundred, women will play in matches held as a double header with the men’s matches. So the women’s game will get more exposure, and the odds on The Hundred gaining it new fans are great. Better yet the ECB has ensured that not only will they get equal exposure, with free-to-air coverage online, but also equal prize money too.

The Hundred 2021 Odds

• Welsh Fire – 7/1
• London Spirit – 7/1
• Birmingham Phoenix – 7/1
• Northern Superchargers – 6/1
• Manchester Originals – 6/1
• Oval Invincibles – 11/2
• Trent Rockets – 11/2
• Southern Brave – 5/1
• See more at bet 365…

You might think this of little but cosmetic importance. A redressing of past wrongs and unequal treatment. However, the knock-on effects of this change are massive. Women’s teams are now no longer a commercial afterthought. So many women cricketers are suddenly able to cease their part-time participation in the sport and turn professional. Of course, the odds on the Hundred available at online sportsbook sites in the UK like Bet365 don’t mention them yet. C’est la vie. 

Get Your Odds On The Hundred At Bet365

Online bookies in the UK are going to have to catch up. People like a bet on cricket, it’s very English. So, chances are, they’ll like a bet on The Hundred just as much. Unfortunately whilst the odds on The Hundred exist, odds on the women’s hundred don’t. Not as yet. Doubtless, even now someone is rectifying that. They should. If the ECB can grant women some equality, you would have to expect the bookies managing the same. They’ll notice things have changed. Eventually.

“It’ll be a learning curve for the first couple of games. It’ll be exciting.”

• Steve Smith

Whilst we wait for that to happen, we can at least take advantage of UK gambling laws to bet on the men’s game. The odds on The Hundred currently favour the Southern Brave at just 5/1 with the Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets at their shoulder on 11/2. Silly names aside, this does show that the contest, whatever the oddities of the format, is going to be tight. That’s good news. Whether it’s enough to win over the fans and viewers at home is another question entirely.  

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We take a look at why the odds on The Hundred are worth checking out despite some glaring omissions thus far.