My first Publication Overtime November 2019 Merged PDF | Page 20

CAN THE HUNDRED BOOST
CRICKET’S PROFILE?
Originally proposed by the ECB in 2016, the aim of The Hundred is to attract more viewers to the sport. However,
the reaction to its inception has been mixed
Words Riley Taylor
T
he recent summer was a sensational period
for English cricket. From winning an
incredible World Cup final to an explosive
Ashes series, it has certainly been one to remember.
Naturally it should now be time to ride off the back
of the success by continuing to promote cricket.
So, when the announcement for a new competition
called the The Hundred rolled round why did it get
such a negative press and what exactly is the new
format?
The Hundred was initially proposed by the England
and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2016 and it will
begin next summer. Eight new teams have been
formed and a recent draft including some of the best
cricketers in the world occurred.
Overtime spoke to Sussex head coach Jason
Gillespie, Sussex fast-bowler Tymal Mills and cricket
writer Dan Whiting.
Gillespie, the former Australian Test cricketer and
head coach of Sussex and Adelaide Strikers, is in
strong favour of the tournament.
“The Hundred fits in with a certain time frame that
satisfies free to air broadcasters,” the 44-year-old
told Overtime.
“It is easy for non-cricket fans to understand as
each side faces 100 balls - most runs win.
“I do think that the novelty of the idea will bring
some people to the game are curious and interested in
what it’s all about.”
“There are some valid arguments against it but I’m
all for trying new things, so we’ll see how it goes,” said
the Australian.
However, cricket writer Dan Whiting is firmly
against the format.
“It will affect the quality of county cricket as counties
lose their best players for the County Championship
as well as the 50 over competition,” said Whiting.
The game will look to emulate T20 cricket with
its explosive action but each innings will be 20 balls
shorter and there are several rule changes.
These include each bowling side getting a strategic
timeout of up to two and a half minutes and bowlers
delivering either five or 10 consecutive balls instead of
the regular amount of six which has been commonplace
since 1979.
For a competition that is supposed to be appealing
for newer audiences and less complicated, there are
certainly more complex rules than necessary.
With the rules and regulations out of the way, who is
going to be competing in the new competition?
There are eight new franchises in the competition:
Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester
Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles,
Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
What is The Hundred?
Originally proposed by the ECB in 2016, The
Hundred was aimed to attract more people to watch
cricket with then England director of cricket Andrew
Strauss saying in 2018 that “The Hundred will be aimed
at “mums and kids during the summer holidays.”
“We want to make the game as simple as possible for
them to understand,” said the former England opener.
Since then it has certainly sparked a lot of debate.
Sussex coach and former Australia bowler Jason
Gillespie (left) told Overtime’s Riley Taylor that he
thinks The Hundred will be easier for non-cricket fans
to understand because each team bowls 100 balls and
the team with the most runs wins.
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