The prize budget of £600,000 will be divided equally for the inaugural season of the 100-ball based tournament, which will run from July 17 to August 20 this year, featuring eight-city based teams for both men and women.

Heather Knight, captain of London Spirit women’s team said: “This is a great announcement for women’s sport. Women’s professional cricket is on an exciting journey and whilst there is still a way to go to realise gender parity, this move from The Hundred is a significant step in the right direction.

We've delved deep into The Hundred, the competition that's divided the cricketing landscape.

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— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 3, 2020

We’re all really excited about playing in the new competition and hopefully inspiring more young girls and boys to pick up a bat and ball.”

It follows an action plan launched by ECB in October 2019, pledging £20m worth of funding in a bid to transform women’s cricket in the country, which provides 40 full-time domestic contracts, on top of the 21 centrally contracted players.

Seven stakeholders with different roles in the game share their thoughts on The Hundred and how it will affect the overall landscape of English cricket.https://t.co/aEw48O6izk

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 17, 2020

The head of The Hundred women’s competition, Beth Barrett-Wild, said: “We’re really proud of our movement towards making cricket a gender-balanced sport and whilst we’re aware there is more to do in this space, this is an important step in the right direction. It’s recognition for the women’s players and the huge value they bring to The Hundred.

“The ECB is committed to transforming women’s and girls’ cricket, from inspiring young girls to pick up a bat for the first time, through to establishing the women’s game as a professional career option. This announcement today represents one signal of intent towards that commitment.”