Could cricket’s purists ever learn to love The Hundred?
OF THE ECB’S RADICAL NEW FORMAT
THE first season of The Hundred is in the books more than three years after the idea of introducing another format into the domestic structure was first pitched by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The 100-ball competition designed to bring in new supporters to the game has divided opinion sharply among cricket lovers, so have the past few weeks done anything to alter mindsets?
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the issues from the inaugural edition of the ECB’s brainchild.
WAS IT A SUCCESS?
On looking at the ECB’s numbers this, the answer would have to be an overwhelming yes, with 16.1 million people tuning in to see some of the month-long competition on TV.
Sanjay Patel, managing director of The Hundred, pointed out that this is “more eyeballs than the men’s World Cup in 2019”, which England won for the first time.
Of that number, the ECB says 57 per cent of viewers had not watched any live cricket this year.
WHAT ABOUT ATTENDANCES?
Another triumph. In all, 510,000 tickets were sold, with 55 per cent of them going to first-time live English cricket watchers.
The ECB’s fundamental aim for creating the new format was to appeal to those who had never or very rarely watched cricket. Meanwhile, crowds totalling 267,000 were the highest for a women’s cricket event anywhere globally.
England captain Charlotte Edwards said this week: “Without doubt The Hundred has singlehandedly changed women’s cricket in this country. I never thought it would have the instant impact it’s had.”
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR
THE SUCCESS OF THE WOMEN’S HUNDRED?
Increased marketing and exposure have played their part but the biggest factor is arguably that most matches, including Saturday’s final, have been staged as double-headers alongside the men.
This was not originally planned, but the ECB’s hand was forced by Covid-19 and the double header format – described by Edwards as “the perfect way forward” – will remain for the 2022 edition.
SO EVERYTHING HAS WORKED PERFECTLY?
No. The new format has had its sceptics as it has been shoehorned into the peak of summer and has faced accusations of relegating the Royal London Cup, which ran concurrently to The Hundred, to a secondary event.
There has also been a distinct lack of action in the LV= Insurance County Championship in July and August, which deprived England of meaningful practice ahead of their current five-Test series against India.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison admitted there are a “huge amount of learnings” to take from the first season.
But he added: “There is not a silver bullet solution that can solve all the problems that a schedule will raise.”
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY OTHER PROBLEMS?
There have been anecdotal reports of anti-social behaviour from the crowd in some matches, motivated by excessive drinking, which contrasts sharply with the family entertainment the ECB wants to provide.
Harrison himself alluded to the issue in his post-competition debrief, saying: “We want to focus on that family-friendly atmosphere in stadia which is so important to the brand and continue to make it an aspirational place for families to want to be.”
SO, STILL A FEW TWEAKS TO BE MADE BEFORE THE SECOND SEASON?
Yes. There are lingering issues such as the salary discrepancy between men and women, which Harrison has pledged to address, and many of the matches lasting beyond the twoand-a-half-hour window.
But the technical tweaks, such as the controversial five-ball set, have not caused too much upheaval.
Much of the attention has fallen on the cricketers who have shone. From Liam Livingstone and Tymal Mills to lesser-known players such as Alice Capsey, Lauren Bell and Jake Lintott, some players have really seized their opportunities, and that is a very good thing.