The announcement of the new eight-team men's and women's tournament series in 2019 was not without controversy, with the likes of Virat Kohli criticising the England and Wales Cricket Board for pursuing a shift away from Test cricket,[2] while others argued the format should have followed the established and successful Twenty20 format. The ECB, however, decided it needed a unique format to draw crowds.
It was announced in June 2019 that the side would be named the Manchester Originals, and would draw on players from Lancashire in the inaugural draft.[3] It had been reported that other names such as the Manchester Bees and a Lancashire name were considered but rejected.[3]
Other regions such as Surrey and Kent were required to amalgamate their Hundred sides, however, Lancashire was one of the few regions spared this controversy.[3] Lancashire chief executive Daniel Gidney has however suggested this will serve as a handicap for the region rather than a benefit, arguing that the other merged regions will enjoy greater marketing powers and better coaching resources.[4]
The inaugural Hundred draft took place in October 2019 and with the Originals having claimed Jos Buttler as their England centrally-contracted player, and Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone the women's players, they were looking to build on their early picks. They were also joined by England internationals Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood as local icon picks (players from their director county Lancashire).[6]
^Manchester Originals men qualified for the eliminator in 2022. They played two matches, winning the playoff for the final against London Spirit by 5 wickets, losing in the final to Trent Rockets by 2 wickets.
^Manchester Originals men qualified for the eliminator in 2023. They played two matches, winning the playoff for the final against Southern Brave by 7 wickets, losing in the final to Oval Invincibles by 14 runs.
