Adams: England worked hard to be World champs... but Hundred could ruin all that
THE HUNDRED has begun with the loudest possible fanfare in the past week.
And any suggestion that England are prioritising Twenty20 cricket over retaining their 50-over World Cup crown is likely to fall on deaf ears.
But one of the most prominent figures in world cricket believes that could be the case.
West Indies director of cricket Jimmy Adams (right) has warned that England’s focus on the shortest format – or formats, now that The Hundred is in operation – could impact their ability to defend the title they won for the first time in 2019.
Former Kent head coach Adams noted: “The way it has worked with The Hundred means that 50over cricket has been the fall guy.
“England have just won the 50-over World Cup and they invested a lot in that format in terms of scheduling, by way of resources and infrastructure.
“They preached 50-over cricket, certainly during my time as a coach in England, and in the lead-up to the World Cup.
“Now 50-over cricket is the poorest cousin in all four formats that you have.
“Putting on my development cap, I would say that England will pay for that further down the road, or maybe as soon as the next
World Cup or the World Cup beyond.
“They might revisit it, but the fact is that you’re struggling to find enough days for all the formats that you’re trying to bring to the market.
“It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The value of England doing well in a 50-over World Cup, particularly at home, can you put a price on that?”
Having cancelled The Hundred last year as a result of the Covid pandemic, the ECB will doubtless be happy with both the viewing figures and crowds in the opening few days of the new competition.
But with so much emphasis on it, some of England’s victorious World Cup squad face the prospect of playing virtually no 50-over cricket unless they find themselves doing it for their country.
Jofra Archer, for example, has only played three matches in the format since July 2019.
He has been injured for some of that period, but it is an illustration of just how difficult some players will find it in the run-up to the 2023 tournament.
Despite the Royal London Cup becoming the equivalent of a second XI tournament with so many top players performing in The Hundred, the ECB insist that it has no plans to dispense with it.
The World Cup is still over two years away.
But England are already on the back foot.