The Hundred: What's the competition all about?

After a dramatic Ashes series came to an end on Monday evening, cricket fans might be wondering what to do with themselves.

Well don't worry! The Hundred is back for its third year, and it all kicks off today.

It was described as one of the biggest shake-ups to cricket in generations and it'll see eight teams representing seven different cities battling it out to score as many runs as possible from 100 balls.

Both the men's and women's tournaments kick off on Tuesday 1 August, with back to back matches taking place at the same grounds.

The action-packed contest is set to feature some of cricket's biggest names from around the world and will see participating teams compete over five weeks in a bid to win the coveted title.

Many of the biggest names from England and Australia's Ashes teams might be missing for the opening few matches, but will join up with the rest of the squads later in the month.

So what's the competition all about?

What is "The Hundred?"

Oval Invincibles women became back to back champions last year, but can they make it three years in a row?

The Hundred is a fairly new form of cricket, having been introduced for the first time in 2021. It's designed to make the game faster, more exciting and easier to follow.

This is because the people in charge of cricket in England and Wales, the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), noticed there weren't very many young people involved in cricket.

They hope The Hundred will attract a wider, younger and more diverse crowd.

Whereas Test or T20 cricket can last days, The Hundred is a much shorter game.

The teams are:

• Manchester Originals

• Northern Superchargers (based in Leeds)

• Birmingham Phoenix

• Trent Rockets (based in Nottingham)

• Welsh Fire (Cardiff)

• London Spirit

• Oval Invincibles (London)

• Southern Brave (Southampton)

Each squad is made up of 15 players, which includes a maximum of four stars from outside of the UK.

The Hundred league is made up of 32 matches, with the top three teams competing in the Finals Day (the top team will automatically reach the final, with second versus third for the other spot in the final).

How do you play?

England's Sophie Ecclestone is known for being one of the best bowlers in the women's game

The format of the game is pretty simple - the bowlers have a set amount of time to bowl 100 balls at the opposition batsman/ batswoman.

The batters hit the ball as far as they can and runs to the other end of the wicket (the patch of ground in the centre of the field).

However, if the fielding team - the opposition - manage to catch the ball (without it hitting the ground), or they hit the stumps with the ball, then the batter is out.

Both teams take turns to bat or bowl and the team with the most runs at the end wins.

Who won last year's competition?

The Oval Invincibles were victorious in last year's women's tournament after taking on Southern Brave in the final.

Southern Brave's men won the title after beating Birmingham Phoenix.

Who will be playing this year?

Matthew Potts (left) and Linsey Smith (right) are both players Northern Superchargers fans should keep an eye on this year

A lot of England's big-name players will be involved later in the series due to the Ashes only ending on Monday.

Some international stars will also inject some interesting rivalries into the series, but many of the Australian side who drew the Ashes series with England, have decided to fly home instead of play in the series this year.

The way the teams are picked is similar to the American NFL draft system, where teams "bid" for players.

England captain Ben Stokes will return for the Northern Superchargers after missing the last season.

Ashes star Mark Wood will line up for London Spirit, Chris Woakes will play for Birmingham Phoenix and ex-England Test captain Joe Root will play for Trent Rockets.

The star of the famous 2021 World Cup super-over Jofra Archer will play for Southern Brave.

In the women's game, England captain Heather Knight will play for London Spirit, Sophie Ecclestone will be a key player for Manchester Originals.

Welsh Fire captain Tammy Beaumont is hoping she can continue her performances from this summer's Ashes draw, where she hit a special Test double century, which means she scored over 200 runs.

How long will the competition run for?

Southern Brave's captain James Vince hope to bring back their form from 2021 where they won the men's series

The competition starts this week, with the finals day taking place on Saturday 3 September.

All of the matches will be available to watch live on the BBC and on iPlayer.

Will you be watching The Hundred? Are you a cricket fan or do you prefer watching other types of sport? Let us know in the comments below.