Graham: The Hundred is inspiring a new generation

Phoebe Graham looks ahead to the women's competition in The Hundred, as she links up with Manchester Originals and the tournament aims to build on the Lionesses' success and continue the growth of women's sport...

The Hundred is back and this time it's bigger and better. Live music, live sport, back-to-back double-headers… does domestic cricket get any better than this?

The double-headers begin on Thursday with the women's game between Oval Invincibles and Northern Superchargers the headline act at 6.30pm.

We start at The Kia Oval, which is where the tournament kicked off in 2021 with a women's game, setting a precedent and showing this competition is about equality and inspiring the next generation.

Joe Root showed that on Saturday, signing autographs for 90 minutes after Trent Rockets' game against Birmingham Phoenix at Trent Bridge.

The impact this tournament has had on women's cricket has been phenomenal. We've seen additional funding for the women's game, increased domestic contracts and most importantly a record-breaking year for women's sport.

According to research, 33 million fans watched women's sport in the UK in 2021, with 71 per cent going on to watch more women's sport. After being inspired by the Lionesses bringing football home last Sunday, this is just the start of what's to come.

Perceptions are changing within society about women's sport. We are being treated as equal and inspiring the next generation. The Hundred has contributed to that and I just want to see it getting bigger and better.

The tournament was the highlight of my career thus far. We played side-by-side with the men, had a 'one-team' mindset and the same access to training facilities and playing on the main stage.

I was a Supercharger