Sussex star Phil Salt could make a piece of history in The Hundred.

And he hopes it is for the right reason.

Salt was selected by the Manchester Originals for the new tournament.

They open the men’s section by visiting Oval Invincibles this evening (6.30pm).

Salt is eager to have the honour of facing the first ball of the men’s tournament, even if it ends up making him a trivia subject in the future.

As he showed in his debut series as an England player against Pakistan, he is more than willing to swing hard from the first moment despite the inherent risks.

He joked: “At least if I get out first, I’ll be the answer to a brilliant pub quiz question in ten years!

“But I’d love it to be me going out there and getting a big score in the first match and winning it for my side.

“It’s brilliant to be playing first game, a really exciting thing to be part of because the world’s eyes are going to be on it.

“Scoring a hundred in The Hundred? That’s the dream ticket.

“That would be impressive going but I’m sure it has been done a few times in the first hundred balls of a T20.

“If you get off to a flyer and find a couple of match-ups you like, it’s possible.

“I’d just love it to be me or one of the guys from our side.”

Salt has reached 50 on 18 occasions in his 98 T20 innings but has yet to get to three figures.

His top score remains 78 not out against Glamorgan at Hove in 2019 but it has twice come under threat this year.

He recorded unbeaten scores in the 70s in each of Sharks’ two opening games this season as they beat Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

Ollie Robinson is also in the Manchester squad.

Sussex officially come under the umbrella of Southern Brave, who play at the Ageas Bowl.

But many cricket fans within the county who opt to give The Hundred a go might feel a trip to one of the London venues is more practical or appealing than heading to the northern fringes of Southampton.

Invincibles captain Sam Billings believes The Hundred will propel a new generation of stars.

He said: “I would definitely like to be the guy to make a splash, but there is international quality right through our side, and we’ve got quite a few in this dressing room who will want to be that main man.

“Will Jacks has been in the form of his life and this could be the launch pad for him.

“I’ll be really excited to see what he can do about catapulting himself to another level.

“That’s what we’ll see throughout this tournament, some of these young guys playing with and against the best in the world.

“You can go and make a name for yourself, how good is that?

“For guys who haven’t had that exposure around the world in these competitions, it’s going to be great.

“Everyone will learn so much.”

The competition made its debut at the Oval last night as the Invincibles and Originals met in the women’s section.

Sussex skipper Georgia Adams held a decent catch low down at extra cover to remove Georgie Boyce and later scored 13 as Invincibles won a thriller.

Ravi Bopara’s London Spirit visit Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston tomorrow (6.30pm).

The corresponding women’s fixture (3pm) could include Sussex pair Freya Davies (Spirit) and Georgia Elwiss (Phoenix).

Saturday’s men’s match between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave in Nottingham (2.30pm) could feature plenty of Sussex-related interest.

Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Delray Rawlins and George Garton are all on the Brave roster.

Rockets’ options include Luke Wright and Rashid Khan.

The Brave’s women’s squad includes Sussex players Ella McCaughan, Tara Norris, Carla Rudd, Paige Scholfield and Danni Wyatt. They get under way at 11am.