So, did it deliver on the hype?

The first season of The Hundred is in the books more than three years after the idea of introducing another format into the domestic structure was first pitched by the ECB.

Since its inception, the 100-ball competition designed to bring in new supporters to the game has divided opinion sharply among its existing fanbase, so have the past few weeks done anything to alter mindsets?

Here, The News looks at some of the issues from the inaugural edition of the ECB’s brainchild.

Was it a success? On looking at the ECB’s numbers, the answer would have to be: overwhelmingly so. A total of 16.1million people tuned in to see some of the month-long competition on television. Of that number, the ECB says 57 per cent of viewers had not watched any live cricket this year.

What about attendances? Another triumph. More than half a million tickets – 510,000 – were sold, with analysis showing 55 per cent had not bought one in this country before. This is striking as the ECB’s fundamental aim for creating an entirely new format was to appeal to those who had never or very rarely watched cricket, either in person or on the television. Meanwhile, crowds totalling 267,000 were the highest for a women’s cricket event anywhere globally.

Is that a big deal? Absolutely. Not everyone has been won over by this competition but it has been an unqualified success for the women’s game.

Is there a reason for that?

Increased marketing and exposure have played their part but the biggest factor is arguably that the majority of matches, including Saturday’s final, have been staged as double-headers alongside the men. This was not originally supposed to be the case, with the ECB’s hand forced by Covid-19, but they will remain for the 2022 edition.

So everything has been alright on the night?

No. The new format has had its sceptics as it has been shoehorned into the peak of summer and has faced accusations of relegating the Royal London Cup, which ran concurrently to The Hundred, to a secondary event. Furthermore, there has been a distinct lack of action in the County Championship in July and August, which has deprived England of meaningful practice ahead of their five-Test series against India.

Have there been any other issues?

There have been anecdotal reports of anti-social behaviour from the crowd in some matches, motivated by excessive drinking, which contrasts sharply with the family entertainment the ECB wants to provide.

So, still a few tweaks to be made before the second season?

Yes, but a competition beset by several PR faux pas before a ball had been bowled was never going to nail it. There are other lingering issues like the salary discrepancy between men and women and many of the matches lasting beyond the two-and-a-half-hour window.

But the technical tweaks such as the controversial five-ball set have not caused too much upheaval. Much of the attention has fallen on the cricketers who have shone - from Liam Livingstone and Tymal Mills to lesser-known players such as Alice Capsey and Lauren Bell.