The Hundred

changingman said:
I do watch it occasionally and generally enjoy it but like a lot of franchise tournaments it suffers from a two-tier roster.

Yes, you've got some of the England squad and some decent overseas players but it's a fair gulf to the county players present in most cases.

IPL remains the gold standard, can't see that changing any time soon.
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Agree with that, but I think the idea is that eventually England has a league that is a genuine competitor to the IPL, brings money in to the ECB and keeps the red ball game alive (the Ashes are so important to cricket globally) as well as England's status as one of the 'big 3'.

The T20 Blast was never going to be that. That was proven over a 10 year period.
 
Sharing the star players around presumably makes for closer matches.

My main gripe is with the graphics. Cricket has to be all high brow doesn't it? They should make them tacky so Americans can start to immediately appreciate the game.
 
atypical_boro said:
Agree with that, but I think the idea is that eventually England has a league that is a genuine competitor to the IPL, brings money in to the ECB and keeps the red ball game alive (the Ashes are so important to cricket globally) as well as England's status as one of the 'big 3'.

The T20 Blast was never going to be that. That was proven over a 10 year period.
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Agree that is the plan. Just think it might take some time to deliver. For instance, I think Indian players can't/don't play in any overseas franchises?

Until they do, other leagues may compete but will generally need to be happy with being second best.
 
changingman said:
Agree that is the plan. Just think it might take some time to deliver. For instance, I think Indian players can't/don't play in any overseas franchises?

Until they do, other leagues may compete but will generally need to be happy with being second best.
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Probably. That said, how many of India’s players are such stars that no other league can touch the IPL? There’s a few, but it’s not like they are streets ahead of everyone else, certainly not at T20.
 
Malaguena said:
It's "cricket" for people who don't like cricket and have the attention span of an amoeba
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You're right, also known as Generation Z. But cricket isn't wealthy enough to just ignore this demographic, it isn't as universally popular as football. I've seen all the insults from cricket fans about what sort of people like the Hundred, but they seem to ignore the fact that the counties need their money. Either you're on board with that or you're not.
 
With The Hundred it’s better being there. At the matches there is so much going on. It’s aimed at kids/families, far from the purists.

The offer they have for kids is great. Stuff going on in between sets, giving away free stuff on entry, easy access to the players, photo booths, mini dynamos cricket, and more.

It was more about exposure for the women’s game too than the men. It’s done that and the level has improved massively since 2021. 10,000 again at todays women’s match with probably more going to the men’s match later.
 
atypical_boro said:
You're right, also known as Generation Z. But cricket isn't wealthy enough to just ignore this demographic, it isn't as universally popular as football. I've seen all the insults from cricket fans about what sort of people like the Hundred, but they seem to ignore the fact that the counties need their money. Either you're on board with that or you're not.
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I don’t think he’s right at all.

Plenty of people who love cricket (including me) enjoy it, lots of people wearing England and Yorkshire gear at the games. If it’s not for you then fair enough but I think those assertions are wrong.
 
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Yearbyred said:
I don’t think he’s right at all.

Plenty of people who love cricket (including me) enjoy it, lots of people wearing England and Yorkshire gear at the games. If it’s not for you then fair enough but I think those assertions are wrong.
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Point is I don’t think the Hundred was created for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. I’ve been an avid cricket fan my whole life, it wasn’t created for me, but I’d rather watch Phoenix v Brave tonight than Hollyoaks. Or whatever’s on terrestrial TV at this time these days. 🤣
 
atypical_boro said:
Point is I don’t think the Hundred was created for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. I’ve been an avid cricket fan my whole life, it wasn’t created for me, but I’d rather watch Phoenix v Brave tonight than Hollyoaks. Or whatever’s on terrestrial TV at this time these days. 🤣
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Fair point but another thing about the Hundred is that it is on terrestrial TV tonight.
 
I've been to county championship and limited over games this season, watched the Test matches on TV, I watch the YouTube coverage of the county matched but I can't watch the Hundred. Everything about it is poor.

It's cricket for the Made in Chelsea fans.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
I've been to county championship and limited over games this season, watched the Test matches on TV, I watch the YouTube coverage of the county matched but I can't watch the Hundred. Everything about it is poor.

It's cricket for the Made in Chelsea fans.
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County cricket needs those fans’ money, or it can’t sustain itself.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
Of course it can. The Hundred isn't a county game.
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Yes it is. Despite being only 8 teams/brands, it brings in millions of pounds per annum for each of the 18 counties, that the counties need because the T20 Blast doesn't bring in those numbers (and neither does the CC or the One-Day Cup). The counties are/were on their knees financially (as you know Durham were/are and there were many others) and the Hundred was literally created for this purpose.

For avoidance of doubt, it was the counties that created the Hundred. They voted 16-3 in favour of creating it (first class counties plus the MCC). This isn't a Kerry Packer thing, the counties themselves literally devised and implemented it, and they jointly own the teams as a collective. They wanted it because they needed to bring in revenue from the 'Made in Chelsea' fans or whatever you want to call them.
 
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County identities are a bit weird though. I’d compare and contrast our nearest Championship neighbour. Tyne and Wear only had its council abolished, it still exists as a ceremonial county for lieutenancy and geography. But I’ve never met a Sunderland fan who doesn’t identify their club with Co Durham. Cleveland County was abolished and Middlesbrough has been unambiguously in North Yorks for lieutenancy and geography for thirty years. But it still feels more vague. No real logic to it.
 
I went to watch Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals on Sunday with some mates. Went and watched the same fixture last year at Headingley, a new tradition it looks like. Great day out, two games of cricket for a cheap price and the added bonus of day drinking.
 
atypical_boro said:
Yes it is. Despite being only 8 teams/brands, it brings in millions of pounds per annum for each of the 18 counties, that the counties need because the T20 Blast doesn't bring in those numbers (and neither does the CC or the One-Day Cup). The counties are/were on their knees financially (as you know Durham were/are and there were many others) and the Hundred was literally created for this purpose.

For avoidance of doubt, it was the counties that created the Hundred. They voted 16-3 in favour of creating it (first class counties plus the MCC). This isn't a Kerry Packer thing, the counties themselves literally devised and implemented it, and they jointly own the teams as a collective. They wanted it because they needed to bring in revenue from the 'Made in Chelsea' fans or whatever you want to call them.
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You're confusing need and greed. The county game has never been one for attracting big crowds and more so since its centralisation within the county.
 
I didn’t expect to like it but it’s grown on me. I can see a day when the franchises become the direct feeder to the international side and the County game becomes a feeder into these teams. Might even decide to have a red ball tournament to get players ready for Tests?
 
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