How to live stream The Hundred finals day and watch both games from anywhere
The Hundred's maiden champions set to be crowned at Lord's
Cricket's new 100-ball format has been utterly enthralling, elevating players into household names and introducing the sport to a much wider audience. And today the first winners of the inaugural The Hundred will be crowned at the Home of Cricket, Lord's. Will it be a clean sweep for the Southern Brave? Read on to discover how to get a 2021 The Hundred final live stream and watch the cricket online no matter where in the world you are - including ways to see it absolutely FREE.
Date: Saturday, August 21
Women's final time: 3pm BST / 7.30pm IST / 12am AEST / 2am NZST
Men's final time: 6.30pm BST / 11pm IST / 3.30am AEST / 5.30am NZST
Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground, London
FREE live stream: BBC iPlayer (UK) / Kayo Sports Freebie (Aus)
Global live streams: Fancode (India) | Spark Sport FREE trial (NZ) | Willow TV via Sling TV (US)
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free
The Brave are the team to beat in the women's final and, though they've had to let Smriti Mandhana go, they've got two more of the tournament's outstanding batters in Sophia Dunkley and Maia Bouchier, while Amanda-Jade Wellington and Anya Shrubsole top some of the bowling charts.
They face Dane van Niekerk's Oval Invincibles, who opened the tournament a month ago and pulled off a remarkable backs-to-the-wall win over the Birmingham Phoenix in yesterday's Eliminator.
The Birmingham Phoenix are favourites in the men's final, and will be led out by Moeen Ali who's been released from England duty to captain his team. Liam Livingstone's provided highlights aplenty both on and off the pitch, and he'll hope to catch fire once more against the hotly tipped Southern Brave, who crushed the Trent Rockets last night.
It's an enormously exciting moment, so watch all the drama unfold as it happens by following our 2021 The Hundred live stream guide to watch the men's and women's cricket finals online today.
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How to watch 2021 The Hundred final FREE: live stream cricket in the UK
In the UK, you can watch all of the 2021 The Hundred final action for FREE on BBC Two.
The women's final starts at 3pm BST, with coverage getting underway at 2.30pm, and the men's final follows start after, beginning at 6.30pm.
If you're not in front of a TV, you can also get a FREE The Hundred live stream via the BBC iPlayer streaming service, which works across a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, games consoles and streaming devices.
As a national broadcaster, it doesn't cost a penny to stream if you're located in the UK.
If you're already a subscriber, you can also tune in on Sky Sports. Its coverage also gets underway at 2.30pm.
And if you're outside the UK right now but still want to watch your domestic coverage, just use a VPN to safely live stream the action from anywhere. Here's how...
How to watch 2021 The Hundred final live stream from outside your country
If you're abroad when The Hundred final is on, you'll likely find you're unable to access your domestic cricket coverage like you would at home. This isn't necessarily cause for alarm, but rather the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to certain parts of the world.
Fortunately, there's a convenient way around this in the form of a VPN. This is a nifty bit of software that lets you swerve around these digital borders, thereby allowing you to globe trot and still access your preferred The Hundred live stream. It's a very affordable workaround and super easy to use - allow us to explain more.
Use a VPN to watch a cricket live stream from anywhere
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Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so if you're from the UK, just head to BBC iPlayer or Sky Go
Watch 2021 The Hundred final FREE: live stream cricket in Australia
The great news for cricket fans in Australia is that you can watch The Hundred final without paying a penny.
The less good news is that the women's final starts at 12am AEST on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and the men's final starts at 3.30am AEST.
If you don't mind a late night, the excellent streaming service Kayo Sports is showing both games for FREE!
All you need to do is sign up for Kayo Freebies, which doesn't even require you to input any credit card details.
And if you ever fancy subscribing, Kayo Sports offers access to over 50 other sports including F1, NRL, NBA basketball... the list goes on.
A Kayo Sports Basic Package costs $25 per month and allows users to stream across two devices simultaneously. Alternatively, the service also offers a Kayo Sports Premium Package, which provides three concurrent streams for $35 per month and arguably represents better value.
Best of all, both offer a FREE trial so you can see what they're like for yourself.
If you're away from Oz right now, simply use a VPN to tune in as normal.
How to watch 2021 The Hundred final: live stream cricket in India
In India, you can watch watch a 2021 The Hundred final live stream on the new premium sports platform Fancode.
The women's game starts at 7.30pm IST on Saturday evening, and the men's game gets underway at 11pm.
Fancode can be accessed exclusively through the service's dedicated iOS and Android apps, and full subscription details can be found here. A monthly subscription costs Rs 99, or you can sign up for a year for Rs 499/year.
Anyone wanting to watch their subscription coverage overseas can easily do so, too - you just need to use a VPN route as described above.
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Watch 2021 The Hundred final: live stream cricket in New Zealand
Premium streaming service Spark Sport is showing The hundred finals in New Zealand, but be prepared to lose some sleep.
The women's final gets underway at 2am NZST on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and the men's final starts at 5.30am.
The better news is that Spark Sport offers a 1-month free trial so you can try before you buy, which means you can catch the 2021 The Hundred finals without paying a penny.
Once that's expired, a subscription costs $24.99 per month, and includes plenty more cricket action, as well as NBA basketball, F1 racing, and MotoGP.
Spark Sport is available via web browsers on your PC or Mac, plus Apple and Android mobile devices, Chromecast, Apple TV, selected Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and LG TVs, and select Freeview streamers.
Anyone in New Zealand from abroad or vice-versa can use the VPN route outlined earlier to access their preferred coverage just like they would at home.
Watch 2021 The Hundred final: live stream cricket in the US (and Canada)
Dedicated cricket streaming service Willow TV is the place to watch the 2021 The Hundred finals in the US.
The women's game starts at 10am ET / 7am PT on Saturday morning, and the men's game starts at 1.30pm ET / 10.30am PT.
Willow TV (also available in Canada), is available from a number of cable providers including Dish, Spectrum, Xfinity, Verizon Fios and more.
Perhaps a better option for those looking for an alternative to cable would be to opt for a cord-cutting streaming service like Sling TV. If you already have Sling, then you can add Willow TV for an extra $5 for one month. And if you don't, then you can currently bag a big six of a bargain by getting Sling TV - featuring 30+ channels - for only $10 for your first month.
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Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.