Minecraft gets new cricket stadium based on children's designs for The Hundred

Image source, The Hundred

Image caption, Ethan, 7, suggested the stadium should also be a spaceship

A cricket stadium with a see-through wicket and a rollercoaster might not exist in real life, but cricket fans can now explore it virtually.

Using ideas and designs from children across the UK, The Hundred cricket competition has built a stadium like no-other - all in Minecraft!

Following a nationwide challenge for kids to create the most imaginative cricket stadium, ten children's ideas were picked from hundreds to create the virtual experience.

The top 10 designs included a see-through wicket, a rollercoaster, a rainbow arch, a sea creature moat flowing around the pitch's boundary and interactive disco lights.

The Hundred say it is the first ever sports stadium built in the gaming platform through a kids competition.

Image source, The Hundred

Image caption, Polly,10, and 12-year-old Samuel came up with the idea of having a moat filled with sea creatures

The stadium took 150 hours to build, and used 1.3 million blocks.

The winners impressed a judging panel, including Birmingham Phoenix women's team superstar and gamer Issy Wong and Minecraft wiz and Founder of BlockWorks, James Delaney.

Image source, The Hundred

Image caption, Thea's design featured a rainbow arch to celebrate diversity

"As soon as I read the brief, I knew that I had to do something colourful. The arch over the stadium is a rainbow to celebrate diversity," said 12-year-old winner Thea, talking about her cricket ball-shaped build with a rainbow canopy.

Rosie, 8, whose design also made it into the final stadium, said: "In Minecraft your imagination can run wild and free, and I wanted this stadium to have everything! I've gone for sea creatures swimming around the pitch as you watch the games."

Video caption, The Hundred: Sachn's guide to what the competition is all about!

The interactive stadium has been launched to celebrate a month until The Hundred starts in August.

The men's and women's games kick off on the 3 and 11 August, with the final on 3 September 2022.

Are you a Minecraft fan? Or a cricket fan? What do you think of the stadium? Let us know in the comments.