Beefy gives ‘Hundred’ thumbs-up

SIR IAN BOTHAM has backed controversial new cricket format ‘The Hundred’. It has received criticism but former all-rounder Botham believes ECB boss Colin Graves is right to press ahead with new concepts. Beefy (above) thinks the new 100-ball tournament, due to start in 2020, could compete with other popular franchise leagues, such as the Indian Premier League and Big Bash. He said: “The game has to move on. We’re in danger of diluting the red-ball game and going down the one-day road, but that’s what the public wants at the moment and we’re trying to do something different. “We needed a competition in England to compete with the Big Bash in Australia and IPL, and must do it properly, learning lessons from what the other competitions have done.”