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Cricket needs to slow down - click/swipe here
Defended by Graves click here
England players privately query EWCB executives’ £UK2.1m bonus.
Ali Martin.
The Guardian.
Wednesday, 25 August 2021.
PTG 3621-17885.
Ali Martin.
The Guardian.
Wednesday, 25 August 2021.
PTG 3621-17885.
England’s leading men’s cricketers are privately querying the bonuses set to be handed to the sport’s top administrators after agreeing to pay cuts and reduced prize money last year. Under the deal Tom Harrison and Sanjay Patel are among a group of leading executives at the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) due to share a £UK2.1m ($A4m) payout when a five-year Long Term Incentive Plan matures in 2022 (PTG 3619-17871, 24 August 2021).
It comes despite the EWCB announcing 62 job cuts last September and following a financial year in which the governing body had a £UK16.5m ($A31.4m) loss because of the pandemic. The sport as a whole lost £UK100m ($A190.3m) in revenue, with counties also laying off staff.
The news has not been lost on the Professional Cricketers’ Association after domestic players relinquished £UK1m ($A1.9m) in prize money last year and minimum salaries in the county game were lowered; so, too, the centrally contracted men’s players who made a collective £UK500,000 ($A946,420) wage donation at the start of the pandemic, before accepting a 15 per cent pay cut last October that included win bonuses being slashed in half.
One England player said it felt as if senior administrators at the EWCB have “looked after themselves” while reducing the incentives for a team that has powered through 18 months of living in biosecure bubbles away from their families. There is also understood to be a degree of disquiet among EWCB employees lower down the organisation, having worked tirelessly to deliver cricket over the past two seasons in the face of pandemic-related issues while colleagues have either been furloughed or made redundant.
The EWCB, however, has insisted the bonus scheme set up in 2017 is not uncommon in sporting federations as a way of retaining people in senior leadership roles and has been based on the successful delivery of the Inspiring Generations strategy designed to broaden the sport’s audience in the UK. The governing body has also pointed to the fact that senior administrators, including Harrison, the chief executive, were among those to take voluntary pay cuts in 2020.
Cricket's propaganda highlights the need for free speech.
Paul Edwards.
The Cricketer Magazine.
Friday, 6 August 2021.
PTG 3599-17777.
Freedom of speech is one of those phrases that trip off the tongue without visiting the brain. At times taken for granted, at times grievously abused, it is thus threatened by both complacency and extremism. Although one can rightly be arrested for inciting someone else to religious or racial hatred, Andrew Doyle’s recent book 'Free Speech' has suggested that other dangers are less obvious. Apparently, the police can now even investigate what one thinks. Bad luck with that.
No, you are not reading an article about civil society or political philosophy; this is still a cricket column. But my broader thoughts about this topic have been stirred in recent days and, quite frankly, I blame my editor Sam Morshead. For had it not been for a recent article of his I would not have known that a banner reading 'Forget The Hundred, Warwickshire CCC, Follow the Bears' had been removed by stewards from one of the stands at Edgbaston during a recent England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) 50-over One Day Cup match.
Paul Edwards.
The Cricketer Magazine.
Friday, 6 August 2021.
PTG 3599-17777.
Freedom of speech is one of those phrases that trip off the tongue without visiting the brain. At times taken for granted, at times grievously abused, it is thus threatened by both complacency and extremism. Although one can rightly be arrested for inciting someone else to religious or racial hatred, Andrew Doyle’s recent book 'Free Speech' has suggested that other dangers are less obvious. Apparently, the police can now even investigate what one thinks. Bad luck with that.
No, you are not reading an article about civil society or political philosophy; this is still a cricket column. But my broader thoughts about this topic have been stirred in recent days and, quite frankly, I blame my editor Sam Morshead. For had it not been for a recent article of his I would not have known that a banner reading 'Forget The Hundred, Warwickshire CCC, Follow the Bears' had been removed by stewards from one of the stands at Edgbaston during a recent England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) 50-over One Day Cup match.
Edgbaston Gestapo click or swipe
The explanation, so one understands, is that Warwickshire did not want their club badge, which occupied, at best, one-fifteenth of the banner’s total area, associated with an “anti-cricket” message. The original piece continued: “The fans who brought it into the ground with them said they were told ‘the club wanted us to remove the banner due to the amount of money the ECB have put into The Hundred’”.
Let us just consider all this for a moment. Warwickshire, where The Hundred’s Birmingham Phoenix have played for less than a fortnight, were so defensive and insecure about the new competition and their relationship with the EWCB that they could not allow a banner to remain, even though it encouraged spectators to support the county that have played on the ground since 1894.
The notion that some folk should encourage a county in clear preference to a construct was unacceptable to them. The consolation is that such clod-hopping, atypical stupidity has had its just reward. The removal of the banner was shown widely on Twitter and elsewhere. And now it has a little more publicity. It is so out of character for a club where I have – or had – many friends.
But July was a rough month for banners. A week last Friday during Lancashire’s One Day Cup match against Sussex at Sedbergh an Old Trafford official ordered the removal of one that read “Not The Spin”. The fact that some explanation is necessary suggests how ill-conceived the action was. “Not The Spin” is the name of a magazine published by the Lancs Action Group (LAG), an organisation that has often been critical of the county club’s hierarchy.
Now let it be made perfectly clear that although I cover a fair number of matches at Old Trafford I have no connection whatsoever to the LAG. Indeed, it seems our views on Sedbergh as a venue for Lancashire’s games are diametrically opposed. But I could not understand the rationale behind the removal of a banner which, I suspect, would have meant little or nothing to most spectators on the ground and which, unlike the one at Edgbaston, did not even espouse a view obviously at variance with any official one.
Yet again, of course, the action rebounded on its perpetrators. More people noticed the kerfuffle around the removal of the banner than would have paid the thing a scrap of attention had it remained.
I didn’t much enjoy writing the preceding paragraphs. Rather like thousands of others, I have come to appreciate county cricket all the more over the past couple of weeks and have been heartened by reports of large attendances at One Day Cup games in Taunton, Chelmsford and Scarborough.
The Hundred, while its benefits for women’s cricket are surely plain, has also made me understand anew how fundamental is my attachment to the 18 counties, many of which are well-run by officials who could probably earn more elsewhere. But the free speech I enjoy in these columns brings with it an obligation to display objectivity, even when writing about the things I love.
And so, subject to the type of conditions outlined in the first paragraph, I will always defend a person’s right to say or write whatever he or she wishes. There are plenty of societies around the world in which such a right does not exist and I would not wish to live in any of them.
And yes, I will defend even the commentators on The Hundred, some of whom have been so obsessed with the promotion of the new competition that they hang their objectivity on a hook just inside the pod and praise everything in sight. But I am not the only one who has noticed this. Friends wonder where they might get a pint of what one or two former international cricketers are drinking because they wouldn’t mind an hour or two of purblind euphoria either.
Much more seriously Mike Atherton wrote recently in 'The Times’ about The Hundred: “A gripe is that the early hard sell was jarring. There should be enough confidence in the game to allow the competition to sell itself and, crucially, for viewers to make up their own minds. If everything is wonderful then nothing is; if everything is the best ever, then nothing is. Viewers are not fools” (PTG 3590-17736, 28 July 2021).
Neither, I might add, are very many commentators. It has been important for me to watch the presentation of The Hundred when I am not working at the One Day Cup and I reckon wall-to-wall propaganda is finally giving way to analysis.
No, I do not expect broadcasters to trash a competition for which they have paid millions of pounds but I do expect the commentary to be balanced and the presentation to avoid the crude promotion of the EWCB’s message. Not for the first time, I miss Richie Benaud, but that’s merely to be expected. If you avail yourself of free speech it helps to understand the power of words.
The explanation, so one understands, is that Warwickshire did not want their club badge, which occupied, at best, one-fifteenth of the banner’s total area, associated with an “anti-cricket” message. The original piece continued: “The fans who brought it into the ground with them said they were told ‘the club wanted us to remove the banner due to the amount of money the ECB have put into The Hundred’”.
Let us just consider all this for a moment. Warwickshire, where The Hundred’s Birmingham Phoenix have played for less than a fortnight, were so defensive and insecure about the new competition and their relationship with the EWCB that they could not allow a banner to remain, even though it encouraged spectators to support the county that have played on the ground since 1894.
The notion that some folk should encourage a county in clear preference to a construct was unacceptable to them. The consolation is that such clod-hopping, atypical stupidity has had its just reward. The removal of the banner was shown widely on Twitter and elsewhere. And now it has a little more publicity. It is so out of character for a club where I have – or had – many friends.
But July was a rough month for banners. A week last Friday during Lancashire’s One Day Cup match against Sussex at Sedbergh an Old Trafford official ordered the removal of one that read “Not The Spin”. The fact that some explanation is necessary suggests how ill-conceived the action was. “Not The Spin” is the name of a magazine published by the Lancs Action Group (LAG), an organisation that has often been critical of the county club’s hierarchy.
Now let it be made perfectly clear that although I cover a fair number of matches at Old Trafford I have no connection whatsoever to the LAG. Indeed, it seems our views on Sedbergh as a venue for Lancashire’s games are diametrically opposed. But I could not understand the rationale behind the removal of a banner which, I suspect, would have meant little or nothing to most spectators on the ground and which, unlike the one at Edgbaston, did not even espouse a view obviously at variance with any official one.
Yet again, of course, the action rebounded on its perpetrators. More people noticed the kerfuffle around the removal of the banner than would have paid the thing a scrap of attention had it remained.
I didn’t much enjoy writing the preceding paragraphs. Rather like thousands of others, I have come to appreciate county cricket all the more over the past couple of weeks and have been heartened by reports of large attendances at One Day Cup games in Taunton, Chelmsford and Scarborough.
The Hundred, while its benefits for women’s cricket are surely plain, has also made me understand anew how fundamental is my attachment to the 18 counties, many of which are well-run by officials who could probably earn more elsewhere. But the free speech I enjoy in these columns brings with it an obligation to display objectivity, even when writing about the things I love.
And so, subject to the type of conditions outlined in the first paragraph, I will always defend a person’s right to say or write whatever he or she wishes. There are plenty of societies around the world in which such a right does not exist and I would not wish to live in any of them.
And yes, I will defend even the commentators on The Hundred, some of whom have been so obsessed with the promotion of the new competition that they hang their objectivity on a hook just inside the pod and praise everything in sight. But I am not the only one who has noticed this. Friends wonder where they might get a pint of what one or two former international cricketers are drinking because they wouldn’t mind an hour or two of purblind euphoria either.
Much more seriously Mike Atherton wrote recently in 'The Times’ about The Hundred: “A gripe is that the early hard sell was jarring. There should be enough confidence in the game to allow the competition to sell itself and, crucially, for viewers to make up their own minds. If everything is wonderful then nothing is; if everything is the best ever, then nothing is. Viewers are not fools” (PTG 3590-17736, 28 July 2021).
Neither, I might add, are very many commentators. It has been important for me to watch the presentation of The Hundred when I am not working at the One Day Cup and I reckon wall-to-wall propaganda is finally giving way to analysis.
No, I do not expect broadcasters to trash a competition for which they have paid millions of pounds but I do expect the commentary to be balanced and the presentation to avoid the crude promotion of the EWCB’s message. Not for the first time, I miss Richie Benaud, but that’s merely to be expected. If you avail yourself of free speech it helps to understand the power of words.
George Dobell's Rotten System - click or swipe
Huw Tubervill's first visit to the Hundred - click or swipe
Did we really need the Hundred?
Ian Chappell.
Cricinfo.
MoNday, 2 August 2021.
PTG 3595-17763.
Throughout my playing career I believed there were two possible solutions to a problem: a simple one and a complicated one. I also believed that to the benefit of Australia, England would regularly choose the complicated solution. They've done it again. To overcome the perceived problem of a public not fully conversant with cricket, they've concocted another form of the game - The Hundred. That's right, they've reduced by a mere twenty balls a format that was extremely popular with players and the public.
At least previous changes to format options were substantial; from five days to fifty overs and then a further abbreviation to twenty overs. If you're going to introduce reductions don't do it in half-measures. And don't make changes simply for change's sake; what cricket's evolution needs is improvements. To make matters worse, the Hundred hasn't so much made changes as it has engulfed the game in gimmicks.
If the requirement for a terrestrial television deal truly is a format that doesn't exceed a three-hour time frame, then why include tactical time-outs? The original plan for T20 cricket was for the overs to be completed in 80 minutes, with a ten-minute break between innings. That's a not unreasonable four minutes per over (with a bit of leeway built in) and a match finished in three hours.
However, when you allow lengthy DRS deliberations and numerous replays to decide boundaries - to mention just a couple of administrator-induced interruptions - it's difficult for the players to uphold their end of the bargain. Surely a terrestrial television deal that gave the game a wider audience reach, could have been arranged around the T20 format.
And if you're truly interested in further educating the public about cricket, why not utilise the video screen at the ground. Showing valuable tips on the game from current players could replace the tradition whereby fathers used to educate their kids at the ground. Useful tips on the game would be far more educational than constantly bombarding patrons with the inane rubbish that regularly invades the video screens. "Every ball counts”. Now there's a revelation. If that hasn't always been the case then I wasted the bulk of my first 36 years.
In smaller markets T10 leagues are already sprouting and the Hundred is a logical stepping stone on the way to mainstream cricket heading in that direction. At what point does cricket become less of a game and more of an entertainment? When does it become more fulfilling for the patrons than the players? For cricketers of my vintage - I'm pre-helmets, not prehistoric - that point is probably reached at twenty overs. I recall days where play was severely restricted by poor weather and the after-stumps beer didn't feel like it was earned.
I can imagine feeling the same way if I had only faced two balls at the end of an innings while fielding for twenty overs. I loved fielding but more so if the potential was there for a decent bat in between stints chasing leather. Imagine the frustration of Australia's Michael Clarke - a prolific run scorer in longer formats - who played five matches in the 2007 World T20 tournament for a total of four balls faced.
Apart from reducing the number of balls to obtain a terrestrial television deal, the reasoning behind the Hundred could well be that it improves the chances of cricket fulfilling the Olympic dream. This is often cited as a way to spread the game's popularity to a wider audience. Surely the T20 format could achieve that same outcome without yet another reduction.
Cricket is a team game ideally played by eleven members a side. Performance satisfaction is a big reason why youngsters fall in love with the game. Administrators would do well to remember that before they rush into devising shorter forms of the game. The more the length of an innings is reduced, the greater chance that there will be players "just making up the numbers". Even those players crave occasional performance satisfaction.
Ian Chappell.
Cricinfo.
MoNday, 2 August 2021.
PTG 3595-17763.
Throughout my playing career I believed there were two possible solutions to a problem: a simple one and a complicated one. I also believed that to the benefit of Australia, England would regularly choose the complicated solution. They've done it again. To overcome the perceived problem of a public not fully conversant with cricket, they've concocted another form of the game - The Hundred. That's right, they've reduced by a mere twenty balls a format that was extremely popular with players and the public.
At least previous changes to format options were substantial; from five days to fifty overs and then a further abbreviation to twenty overs. If you're going to introduce reductions don't do it in half-measures. And don't make changes simply for change's sake; what cricket's evolution needs is improvements. To make matters worse, the Hundred hasn't so much made changes as it has engulfed the game in gimmicks.
If the requirement for a terrestrial television deal truly is a format that doesn't exceed a three-hour time frame, then why include tactical time-outs? The original plan for T20 cricket was for the overs to be completed in 80 minutes, with a ten-minute break between innings. That's a not unreasonable four minutes per over (with a bit of leeway built in) and a match finished in three hours.
However, when you allow lengthy DRS deliberations and numerous replays to decide boundaries - to mention just a couple of administrator-induced interruptions - it's difficult for the players to uphold their end of the bargain. Surely a terrestrial television deal that gave the game a wider audience reach, could have been arranged around the T20 format.
And if you're truly interested in further educating the public about cricket, why not utilise the video screen at the ground. Showing valuable tips on the game from current players could replace the tradition whereby fathers used to educate their kids at the ground. Useful tips on the game would be far more educational than constantly bombarding patrons with the inane rubbish that regularly invades the video screens. "Every ball counts”. Now there's a revelation. If that hasn't always been the case then I wasted the bulk of my first 36 years.
In smaller markets T10 leagues are already sprouting and the Hundred is a logical stepping stone on the way to mainstream cricket heading in that direction. At what point does cricket become less of a game and more of an entertainment? When does it become more fulfilling for the patrons than the players? For cricketers of my vintage - I'm pre-helmets, not prehistoric - that point is probably reached at twenty overs. I recall days where play was severely restricted by poor weather and the after-stumps beer didn't feel like it was earned.
I can imagine feeling the same way if I had only faced two balls at the end of an innings while fielding for twenty overs. I loved fielding but more so if the potential was there for a decent bat in between stints chasing leather. Imagine the frustration of Australia's Michael Clarke - a prolific run scorer in longer formats - who played five matches in the 2007 World T20 tournament for a total of four balls faced.
Apart from reducing the number of balls to obtain a terrestrial television deal, the reasoning behind the Hundred could well be that it improves the chances of cricket fulfilling the Olympic dream. This is often cited as a way to spread the game's popularity to a wider audience. Surely the T20 format could achieve that same outcome without yet another reduction.
Cricket is a team game ideally played by eleven members a side. Performance satisfaction is a big reason why youngsters fall in love with the game. Administrators would do well to remember that before they rush into devising shorter forms of the game. The more the length of an innings is reduced, the greater chance that there will be players "just making up the numbers". Even those players crave occasional performance satisfaction.
Booze-fueled crowd trouble impacts on ‘family orientated’ Hundred.
Ben Rumsby.
London Daily Telegraph.
Sunday, 1 August 2021.
PTG 3594-17758.
Spectators have been banned from bringing alcohol into Lord’s for the remainder of The Hundred after crowd trouble at last week’s matches there forced the early closure of the ground’s bars. The stadium has also halved the number of alcoholic drinks an individual can buy at its own bars from four to two per transaction during Hundred games there and will now shut those bars halfway through men’s matches.
The moves follow alcohol-fuelled crowd trouble during Thursday’s London Spirit games against Trent Rockets, which led to the ground’s bars being closed half an hour before the end of the men’s game. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members will be exempt from the ban on bringing booze into Lord’s, which will also not apply to non-Hundred fixtures. The remaining Hundred fixtures at the ground are London Spirit’s matches against Southern Brave on Sunday and against Northern Superchargers on Tuesday, as well as the final in three weeks time
The MCC said in a statement it "aims to make Lord’s a ground for all and we work hard to ensure that everyone has a great day out when they visit the Home of Cricket. Everyone who comes to Lord’s should expect to be treated with kindness and respect. The Hundred is a tournament designed for families and children. We have reviewed all of our measures for our remaining Hundred matches, to ensure Lord’s is inclusive and is a place where families and children of all ages feel welcome and safe".
“These include not allowing the importation of alcohol into the ground, limiting alcoholic beverage sales and closing the bars earlier. We will also be providing more alcohol-free and family only areas. We believe that cricket should be a game for all and we want the next generation of cricket fans to love and be inspired by the sport”.
Lord’s is not the only ground to have witnessed rowdy scenes during the new competition and it emerged last week that alcohol-free zones could be introduced at matches at The Oval (PTG 3587-17726, 25 July 2021). Five of the seven Hundred venues already have booze-free stands and these could be rolled out across the two remaining venues – the Oval and Edgbaston – next year.
The first men’s match between the Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals was notably more raucous than the women’s game the night before when the crowd was made up mainly of families. The men’s match was dominated by groups of males and by the end of the night chanting and singing in the stands turned the atmosphere closer to a Twenty20 game than the organisers had wanted.
They were confident the scenes would not be repeated in the rest of the competition because it was the only standalone men’s match of the tournament, with the rest double headers with women’s games that automatically attract more families. But similar scenes were witnessed at Edgbaston, where chants again broke out among alcohol-fuelled sections of the crowd.
Ben Rumsby.
London Daily Telegraph.
Sunday, 1 August 2021.
PTG 3594-17758.
Spectators have been banned from bringing alcohol into Lord’s for the remainder of The Hundred after crowd trouble at last week’s matches there forced the early closure of the ground’s bars. The stadium has also halved the number of alcoholic drinks an individual can buy at its own bars from four to two per transaction during Hundred games there and will now shut those bars halfway through men’s matches.
The moves follow alcohol-fuelled crowd trouble during Thursday’s London Spirit games against Trent Rockets, which led to the ground’s bars being closed half an hour before the end of the men’s game. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members will be exempt from the ban on bringing booze into Lord’s, which will also not apply to non-Hundred fixtures. The remaining Hundred fixtures at the ground are London Spirit’s matches against Southern Brave on Sunday and against Northern Superchargers on Tuesday, as well as the final in three weeks time
The MCC said in a statement it "aims to make Lord’s a ground for all and we work hard to ensure that everyone has a great day out when they visit the Home of Cricket. Everyone who comes to Lord’s should expect to be treated with kindness and respect. The Hundred is a tournament designed for families and children. We have reviewed all of our measures for our remaining Hundred matches, to ensure Lord’s is inclusive and is a place where families and children of all ages feel welcome and safe".
“These include not allowing the importation of alcohol into the ground, limiting alcoholic beverage sales and closing the bars earlier. We will also be providing more alcohol-free and family only areas. We believe that cricket should be a game for all and we want the next generation of cricket fans to love and be inspired by the sport”.
Lord’s is not the only ground to have witnessed rowdy scenes during the new competition and it emerged last week that alcohol-free zones could be introduced at matches at The Oval (PTG 3587-17726, 25 July 2021). Five of the seven Hundred venues already have booze-free stands and these could be rolled out across the two remaining venues – the Oval and Edgbaston – next year.
The first men’s match between the Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals was notably more raucous than the women’s game the night before when the crowd was made up mainly of families. The men’s match was dominated by groups of males and by the end of the night chanting and singing in the stands turned the atmosphere closer to a Twenty20 game than the organisers had wanted.
They were confident the scenes would not be repeated in the rest of the competition because it was the only standalone men’s match of the tournament, with the rest double headers with women’s games that automatically attract more families. But similar scenes were witnessed at Edgbaston, where chants again broke out among alcohol-fuelled sections of the crowd.
Reflections on the first week of The Hundred.
The Secret Cricketer.
The Cricketer Magazine.
Friday, 30 July 2021.
PTG 3593-17753.
If you go to a restaurant, you can have the fancy toilets, over-the-top décor and expensive art on the walls but what brings you back time and time again? The food. The fancy stuff may get you in the door, but it costs a lot to create and the product has to be good enough to bring you back again and again. Mix the two together and you will win, but the cost may just be too much. That is where I sit with The Hundred after the first few games. Has it created lots of interest? Yes. Has the cricket been played at Test grounds on hot summer evenings? Yes.
Is it worth the reported £UK60 million ($A113.7m) that has wiped out most of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) reserves, seen just ten of the organisation's Twenty20 Blast games shown on pay-TV channel Sky this northern summer and marginalised further the county game which produces the players upon which the England team thrives on? No, I can’t say it is (PTG 3590-17740, 28 July 2021).
I am a player, I want to earn as much as possible and I love innovation and excitement, but we need to ask some serious questions of a format which isn’t played anywhere else, has had a serious knock-on effect on the domestic schedule and most importantly has cost nearly 90 per cent of the reserves of an organisation that is cutting money to key areas of development, notwithstanding the effects of the pandemic in the last 18 months.
A week of The Hundred: What is the point of the new competition? Let’s ask some questions. Is it quicker than the Blast? Not really. Is it better? Same players and mainly the same overseas players so not really. Does it promote fatty foods and snacks to its ‘new’ audience at a time when childhood obesity is among the biggest issues in our society? Yes.
Has it got a better atmosphere and bigger crowds? No, just more money spent on fireworks. Is it easier to understand? Not if you’ve ever been to a cricket game before but I like some of the new rules. Could the Blast, in a city-based format with let’s say a budget of £UK15m ($A28.4m) to promote and bring in overseas players, produce a similar effect with more money spent on targeted initiatives to improve grassroots/schools/women’s cricket? I think it would have at least been worth a try.
There seems to be three camps. Those on the payroll constantly talking about a ‘capacity crowd’ and ‘wonderful atmosphere’, those in the middle who just like watching good cricket and can appreciate the players and those who hate it and want county cricket to be preserved in a jar of vinegar. I am safely in the middle. I love cricket and think the county game is an undersold and underappreciated younger brother of the money-making England machine.
By celebrating what we have, enhancing it with solid investment and utilising its history and the huge number of kids who love the game already there would be more left over to put money into some of the really important issues where cricket could really make a difference. Imagine if some of the big Blast games were on free to air, or if Sky selected their domestic games based on expected crowd sizes? Controversial perhaps but the public would have seen the best of the game rather than a cold Tuesday night fixture at Glamorgan in front of 900 people.
I hope The Hundred is a success as the game cannot afford for it to fail. I hope some of the over-hyped commentators calm down a bit so the product can speak for itself and eventually, like everyone’s favourite restaurants, the décor becomes irrelevant, but you keep going back for the food.
Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 13 July 2021.
PTG 3572-17653.
Umpires will call “five” instead of “over”, coloured cards will be used to assist with that process, and the pre-match toss will take place on the stage alongside the Disc Jockies (DJ) rather than the field of play when the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) new competition The Hundred starts at The Oval in London next week. Ten balls will be bowled from each end and a captain will be allowed to keep on a bowler to bowl all ten balls if they want. There will be nine changes of ends with a 50-second break at that time for broadcasters.
After the first valid five balls have been sent down, umpires will hold up a white card to signify that there have been five legal balls bowled. There will be a two-minute second strategic time out that can only be called by the fielding side, and will be signified by an umpire pointing at their wristwatch. The laws of the game state the toss has to take place on the field of play, but this will be overwritten by the tournament’s Playing Conditions which state it will be broadcast probably from the stage where DJs, signed up by the BBC and the EWCB, will perform.
In the event of a tied match in the group stage, teams will receive one point each; if it happens in the eliminator or final there will be a super five (instead of super over). If the first super five is tied, there will be a second. If the second super five is tied then the team with the highest league position will win (PTG 3498-17313, 30 April 2021).
The tournament will be gender neutral in terminology with 'batter' used instead of 'batsman’. It was revealed in May that tournament organisers were considering replacing the word 'wickets' with ‘outs’ (PTG 3489-17277, 24 April 2021). This met with a strong backlash and the idea has been watered down. Bowlers will still take wickets but batsmen will be referred to as out by commentators when talking about them being dismissed (so for example batsmen X will not be described as the third wicket to fall).
The Decision Review System will be used for all matches - a first for domestic cricket in England - with whats desired as a ‘smart replay system’ that will allow the third umpire to automatically call no balls. In the event of rain, 25 balls will have to be bowled to constitute a match with Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system in operation. If Covid prevents matches being completed then a points-per-game ratio will be brought in. Covid remains the biggest fear for the organisers with thin squads and the difficulty of finding player replacements at the last minute.
The Secret Cricketer.
The Cricketer Magazine.
Friday, 30 July 2021.
PTG 3593-17753.
If you go to a restaurant, you can have the fancy toilets, over-the-top décor and expensive art on the walls but what brings you back time and time again? The food. The fancy stuff may get you in the door, but it costs a lot to create and the product has to be good enough to bring you back again and again. Mix the two together and you will win, but the cost may just be too much. That is where I sit with The Hundred after the first few games. Has it created lots of interest? Yes. Has the cricket been played at Test grounds on hot summer evenings? Yes.
Is it worth the reported £UK60 million ($A113.7m) that has wiped out most of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) reserves, seen just ten of the organisation's Twenty20 Blast games shown on pay-TV channel Sky this northern summer and marginalised further the county game which produces the players upon which the England team thrives on? No, I can’t say it is (PTG 3590-17740, 28 July 2021).
I am a player, I want to earn as much as possible and I love innovation and excitement, but we need to ask some serious questions of a format which isn’t played anywhere else, has had a serious knock-on effect on the domestic schedule and most importantly has cost nearly 90 per cent of the reserves of an organisation that is cutting money to key areas of development, notwithstanding the effects of the pandemic in the last 18 months.
A week of The Hundred: What is the point of the new competition? Let’s ask some questions. Is it quicker than the Blast? Not really. Is it better? Same players and mainly the same overseas players so not really. Does it promote fatty foods and snacks to its ‘new’ audience at a time when childhood obesity is among the biggest issues in our society? Yes.
Has it got a better atmosphere and bigger crowds? No, just more money spent on fireworks. Is it easier to understand? Not if you’ve ever been to a cricket game before but I like some of the new rules. Could the Blast, in a city-based format with let’s say a budget of £UK15m ($A28.4m) to promote and bring in overseas players, produce a similar effect with more money spent on targeted initiatives to improve grassroots/schools/women’s cricket? I think it would have at least been worth a try.
There seems to be three camps. Those on the payroll constantly talking about a ‘capacity crowd’ and ‘wonderful atmosphere’, those in the middle who just like watching good cricket and can appreciate the players and those who hate it and want county cricket to be preserved in a jar of vinegar. I am safely in the middle. I love cricket and think the county game is an undersold and underappreciated younger brother of the money-making England machine.
By celebrating what we have, enhancing it with solid investment and utilising its history and the huge number of kids who love the game already there would be more left over to put money into some of the really important issues where cricket could really make a difference. Imagine if some of the big Blast games were on free to air, or if Sky selected their domestic games based on expected crowd sizes? Controversial perhaps but the public would have seen the best of the game rather than a cold Tuesday night fixture at Glamorgan in front of 900 people.
I hope The Hundred is a success as the game cannot afford for it to fail. I hope some of the over-hyped commentators calm down a bit so the product can speak for itself and eventually, like everyone’s favourite restaurants, the décor becomes irrelevant, but you keep going back for the food.
Dobell Asks For Truth About the Hundred
Dobell Spells Out the Hundred Fallacy
Is it All Over for The Over or is it just Balls?
Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 13 July 2021.
PTG 3572-17653.
Umpires will call “five” instead of “over”, coloured cards will be used to assist with that process, and the pre-match toss will take place on the stage alongside the Disc Jockies (DJ) rather than the field of play when the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) new competition The Hundred starts at The Oval in London next week. Ten balls will be bowled from each end and a captain will be allowed to keep on a bowler to bowl all ten balls if they want. There will be nine changes of ends with a 50-second break at that time for broadcasters.
After the first valid five balls have been sent down, umpires will hold up a white card to signify that there have been five legal balls bowled. There will be a two-minute second strategic time out that can only be called by the fielding side, and will be signified by an umpire pointing at their wristwatch. The laws of the game state the toss has to take place on the field of play, but this will be overwritten by the tournament’s Playing Conditions which state it will be broadcast probably from the stage where DJs, signed up by the BBC and the EWCB, will perform.
In the event of a tied match in the group stage, teams will receive one point each; if it happens in the eliminator or final there will be a super five (instead of super over). If the first super five is tied, there will be a second. If the second super five is tied then the team with the highest league position will win (PTG 3498-17313, 30 April 2021).
The tournament will be gender neutral in terminology with 'batter' used instead of 'batsman’. It was revealed in May that tournament organisers were considering replacing the word 'wickets' with ‘outs’ (PTG 3489-17277, 24 April 2021). This met with a strong backlash and the idea has been watered down. Bowlers will still take wickets but batsmen will be referred to as out by commentators when talking about them being dismissed (so for example batsmen X will not be described as the third wicket to fall).
The Decision Review System will be used for all matches - a first for domestic cricket in England - with whats desired as a ‘smart replay system’ that will allow the third umpire to automatically call no balls. In the event of rain, 25 balls will have to be bowled to constitute a match with Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system in operation. If Covid prevents matches being completed then a points-per-game ratio will be brought in. Covid remains the biggest fear for the organisers with thin squads and the difficulty of finding player replacements at the last minute.
It's still overs when they want something tangible like over-rates. That will confuse the poor mythical new audience. So are these "overs" for over-rates based on "fives", ten balls from one end (with a white piece of paper held-up mid-point) or the more traditional six ball over rates? #opposethe100
ReplyDelete"Super Five" could decide the "Final", surely a new marketing word for that ?
ReplyDeleteThis is quite personal, August now a pretty much a no go area for County first team matches and little for long suffering members.
I was born in August and as I went to boarding school, saw mosto my early cricket in the month.
Effectively I feel it has been stolen.
Could have a penalty shoot out.then again that might be a bit far fetched
ReplyDeleteI have changed my mind - and will not follow the Hundred at all. I am a big fan of T20 and I thought the Hundred would complement this. But I am convinced it won't. I'd rather watch club-level T20 or 50 over premier league matches or minor counties, or if I can get to it, RL50 games?
ReplyDeleteThe 100 = Mickey Mouse Competition( sorry Mickey)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who loves the game of cricket will be gob smacked when reading the latest 100 ball rules and regulations ! I pity the Umpires job !
I can forsee a reasonable TV audience for the broadcast matches but not a great deal of spectators will to pay £30 for a decent seat in a “ gold” stand.
The morecyou look into the 100 Comp the more bizarre it becomes. I personally know a lot of knowledgable cricket fans but I DONT KNOW A SINGLE ONE who will buy a ticket to watch what will be served up . Some players may actually find it embarrassing to take part?
There are a lot of people with more money than sense and we have been rationed attendance at live sport for so long - if the grounds are not full, they'll know that the product really stinks and no one is interested.
DeleteA World Class pool of players were promised. What have we got? Will Smeed.... who?
ReplyDeleteSame players largely that are playing in the Blast currently - which begs the question ...... why bother at all? Invest in the Blast. Celebrate the uniqueness of the tournament with 18 teams. 18 teams with history, rivalries not manufactured by media clowns at the ECB, that have true supporters who support their team through thick and thin and even thinner. Supporters that show-up when it's raining regardless of money-back pledges or not. #opposethe100
DeleteGot to take issue with Mickey Mouse s name being taken in vain. He’s been loved by millions and brought huge fun, and entertainment across many generations, a bit like the 100 (not). I think the RL 50 is potentially going to be the most interesting to many of us on here.if people end up enjoying the 100 good luck to them.
ReplyDeleteFox Road - yes upon reflection I have insulted loveable rogue Mickey Mouse!?
ReplyDeleteReference the Royal London comp . Will it actually take place given the latest developments?
The seasin ticket value would appear to be diminishing by the day!
The ramifications of this virus are endless. For sport to continue the powers that be are going to have to take a more moderate/ lenient approach to “track and trace” notifications and subsequent team isolations. Its hard to plan to see future matches . ANYTHING could happen at ANYTIME!?
Yes, who knows?
DeleteHarrison now called up by Manchester franchise!
ReplyDeleteReally !
ReplyDeletehttps://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-hundred-2021-injuries-rule-jamie-overton-richard-gleeson-out-of-hundred-1270235
ReplyDeleteChristmas has come early for young Calvin ! He looks the sort that can take things in his stride .
ReplyDeleteGood luck to the young lad
Notts have obviously signed him to a two year contract just in time. Some 100 ball commentators may not even of heard of him , never mind seen him bat or bowl!?
Norman Mailer said of Charles Dickens :
ReplyDelete"He is a thorn in the side of tyrants, may he stay there for ever."
George is a thorn in the side of cricket tyrants.
Interesting article by Senor Hopps. It would appear through the ECBs complacency as much as anything this has been an accident waiting to happen ? Cricket being taken off terrestrial tv, not appealing to a more modern , diverse customer base and a lack of marketing a new audience was always going to result in a generation lost to our game. It was simply inevitable. I would suggest we want the Hundred to be a success as hopefully it will then save what we already have. ps, can our club please stop referring to Welbeck as picturesque. What's picturesque about looking at an electricity power pylon or the back of someone's head if you're not able to get on the front row ? I fully accept we are extremely limited with our outground options but on this basis what are they going to call the Grantham venue ?
ReplyDeleteJust imagine for a minute, some Sussex supporters thinking of going to Sedbergh but decide it’s nearer to go to Welbeck instead, both apparently picturesque grounds. They turn up expecting Arundel and find those electricity pylons in the middle of a Nottinghamshire disused coal field! Mind you , the won’t mind, they are cricket supporters they’re used to being lied to and having the piss taken out of them.
ReplyDeleteThe guy that does the media used to be an estate agent with John Pye Properties, I understand ................ not
ReplyDeleteRather sad.
ReplyDeleteWhat is for sure is that there is no sign of the "new audience"
Except, perhaps for girls going to the women's matches.
PS I notch a single today, to go to 66 not out.
Many happy returns
DeleteSome very interesting and well written articles .
ReplyDeleteWith some sobering thoughts and conclusions . The various cricket grounds promoting the 100 Baller have got to foster a good "family" atmosphere at the expense of maximising alcohol sales . It was a basic error to encourage the sale of alcohol to excited young men ( and women) from day one . What did the authorities expect if they did not exercise some control over beer/ lager in ground outlets? The lure of the profits simply outweighed common sense.
Come on ECB - get your act together and fast . As has been stated already , the 100 Ball HAS TO SUCCEED. I didnt really that 90% of crickets main reserves has been spent on it so far . Thats almost frightening!?
REF THE 100 Ball Comp .
ReplyDeleteTo me one thing is certain
ITS HERE TO STAY
Whether we like it or not .
There is a massive demand for it . The attendances prove it so far - almost capacity on occasions .
Log on to the ECB website today and try and buy tickets for the two 100 Ball games to be played at Trent Bridge on 13th and 15 th Aug. Very few tickets left ! AND ITS NOT CHEAP TO ATTEND ! Gold seats are £30 ( the best views) .
Silver seats are £25 ( still a decent stand to sit in)
Bronze seats available at a cheaper price but with a view thats far from ideal .
Its pretty hard to argue with “ bums on seats”
The game if cricket needs the extra revenue to ensure the survival of all 18 Counties .
The free to air TV exposure of cricket has been long overdue. Many youngsters under 20 had neved seen a “ live” cricket match on TV . Perhaps the biggest plus so far has been a massive boost to the womens game . Recent TV exposure has ensured they can certainly play - and play skillfully.
Those in self denial about the success so far of the 100 ( I WAS ONE) had better think again .
ITS HERE TO STAY
LETS HOPE THE BLAST 20 continues alongside it.
Please define "boost" and please quantify "demand".
DeleteWhile you're at it, please tell everyone how any of this couldn't have been achieved by tweaking the Blast by having two divisions for example or pumping millions into promoting the already successful competition, and contractly obliging Sky to make viewing free to watch.
Much of the match play has been similar to T20 seen for over a decade at the County Ground, the only major difference being no one cares about the actual result two minutes after the conclusion, so everyone's a "winner"(?), which fits nicely with the modern thinking that no one is allowed to fail anymore because being disappointed or sad is some kind of mental health illness rather than a natural, normal human emotion.
Going with the regular theme on this blog: how much time and money have generations of members of NCCC spent on the ground and facilities of Trent Bridge cricket ground to now find themselves locked-out by what I have accurately read described on this blog as a "parasitic cuckoo franchise"? Do you feel that is correct and fair CRUETKING?
The other night there were 12,000 at Edgbaston, well below the 2019 levels for The Blast.
ReplyDeleteThe first night of joint Sky/BBC coverage of the men's competition managed an underwhelming 2.5 million viewers, including a pathetic 250,000 watching on Sky.
Yes, it is here to stay, for the contracted number of years, but not for me it isn't.
To poster 14/7/2021 SOMERSET LA DE DA
ReplyDeleteYOU WILL KNOW WHO W . SMEETH IS AFTER YESTERDAYS KNOCK OF 36 off only 13 Balls against the quality Trent Rockets bowlers!
Think we may hear a lot more of him in days to come!?
World class is he? Does he produce the goods consistently? Can he convert a 30 into an innings that matters? Pinch hitter - the best sides have dispensed with that tactic in T20, so is it a backwards step? Or is he just a one hit wonder? Quality of the Hundred is NOT what was heralded in order to devalue county cricket to push through its birth. We were lied to. Supporters of the Hundred should feel cheated. A fair proportion of the squads wouldn't make an above average county eleven in normal years - bottom of the barrel has been reached - Graeme White has gone Welsh QED
DeleteLeicestershire Member - angry by proxy
ReplyDeleteyes I agree.
You do sound a little angry!
Ref my earlier post re 100 Ball tickets . I have tried to book two tickets for myself and son at TB ( via ECb website) for games on Frid 13 th and Sunday 15th Aug . The site just displays SOLD OUT for both matches - all tickets . If that is actually the case then thats 35,000 tickets sold .How can anyone say that is not a resounding success.THAT PROVES THE DEMAND IS THERE?!
You question the word “ boost” when I decribed the womens game . Why? How can the interest for future female participants not be boosted when they see the womens teams playing so well and with such vigour , keeness and joy not to mention the skill level . Young females watching that are bound to be more aware of what can be achieved in the game of cricket .
We cannot turn the clock back - what has been decided by the powers that be is being unfolded before our very eyes.
I know that many cricket traditionalists will hate change from any direction . There will always be those that want to keep the status quo intact no matter what. Cricket is a business - BIG BUSINESS. In business you cannot stand still . Its adapt / change or die . Just read the papers and see the familiar firms facing extinction.
Just ask youself this question . Without the 20/20 game coming along how many of the 18 Counties would have survived? Some would have gone part time / semi- pro. Also bear in mind there was a lot of opposition to the 20 over game when it first appeared.Also the John Player 40 over game was made unwelcome by some when it started . Some cricket fans oppose all change no matter what it is .
It looks as though the Blast 20 comp can appear alongside the 100 Ball series . They can both be successful and bring more money into the game with more fans and more players across all levels.
IF YOU THINK THE 100 Ball COMP IS UNWANTED AND RUBBISH THEN DONT SUPPORT IT - DONT WATCH IT - simple
"Sold Out" just means not available to buy...
DeleteCapacity of Trent Bridge is much less than 35K.
KSL was boosting the women's game, we were told - they had franchises too, just different franchises with their own supporters. What point is there investing your own emotional attachment to any particular franchise if; 1/ the franchise might change name and/or base over the winter 2/ the players you did support have gone off to a different franchise after just 8 games (which they may or may not have played in) potentially. So without supporters how will the Hundred be able to justify it's own existance in two years' time? Answer, bring in different/new franchises to replace the tired out Rockets/Originals/Superchargers brands.
DeleteI will continue to observe how the Notts lads have got on in the hundred but won't be watching - there's nothing we haven't seen before.
Thank you very much Mr Charles Darwin for not really answering the questions set. So "boost" means because a few people are watching and aren't they soooooper, "demand" means that YOU aren't able to get your hands on a ticket even through stadia are 3/4 full at best with the usual rowdy booze boys meaning the mums and dads stay away with their sproggs - that will boost your ticket availability then!
DeleteEven my beloved Foxes have players called up to this "competition" after initially having no one drafted in 2019. With the most biased hat on it would be difficult to say our boys are world beaters.
I will go away now and get my atlas to see where Nettleworth is or Welbeck Colliery? Meanwhile, hopefully this mutant variant of the beautiful game of cricket will in due course die out and allow the 18 counties to survive without their lifeblood being leeched from them.
Nuts the Squirrel
ReplyDeletePerhaps you are going “ nuts?”
Ref the maths posted earlier
Two x 100 Ball games on 13 th and 15 th Aug
Trent Bridge ground capacity is 17,500
Two “ sold out “ games = 35,000 tickets sold.
( 2 x 17,500)
Have I gone wrong somewhere?
I think you're double counting seats and potential bums on those seats.... who is it that's nuts? Same bums probably.
DeleteOr the same pool of complimentary tickets to give away to Little Miss Freebees
DeleteThis is a good lively debate - Mags will be pleased that we have elevated the discussion to include natural evolution as described by Darwin over a hundred years ago . So is the 100 Ball Comp a simple case of evolution from the much loved T20/ Blast 20 Comp ? It would appear so.
ReplyDeleteReading the various posts and threads on Notts View there is no doubt much hostility to the new fangled Comp. Nothing is ever published showing the enterprise in a positive light. AND THERE MUST BE SOME POSITIVES!?
I am sorry that the poor old Dinosaur from Leicester is grappling to come to terms wigh the modern world. It can seem unsettling and bewildering if you are too set in your ways. i have seen a fair number of the 100 Ball games shown on TV in the past few days . One thing has struck me . The age range of the spectators ! Very few appear to be much over 50 years of age. Its apparent that the old uns havent taken to the new format. Thats Ok . They can attend the Blast 20 matches as in previous years.
I would like to bet that the great MAJORITY of the 18 County Chairmen are pretty happy with the 100 Baller so far!
I stand to be corrected by those with greater access to semi confidential information.
Nuts the Squirrel .
ReplyDeleteLets do the maths S L O W L Y.
TB and ECB say all tickets have been sold for the 100 Ball matches on 13th and 15 th Aug
Trent Bridge state their capacity is 17,500 per match per day.
So by using my new shiny calculator I have come up with a total of 35,000 tickets sold in total for the two games .
Having earned my living for 40 years handling Numbers and cash I would like to think that dimentia has not yet set in and thus I am still able to do basic maths.
Some say on here that all the tickets are NOT actually sold . If thats the case then why cant I buy any ?
Excuse me, you're communicating arithmatic with a squirrel.
DeleteThis might explain your liking for the Hundred. As for a positive spin on the Hundred; there has been nothing else in the media (with their vested interests). Nottsview remains a forum for cricket in Nottinghamshire and Nottinghamshire cricket. It is true that bastard child resides at Trent Bridge, preventing Nottinghamshire hosting Royal London matches at HQ (before the England and India squads arrived), but Trent Rockets DO NOT REPRESENT Nottinghamshire CCC / Nottingham or Nottinghamshire. MOST of their players have never represented Notts and have zero allegiance to Notts Outlaws or Nottinghamshire cricket. The only positive from the existence of the Hundred is the opportunity that it has presented to younger players to play in the Royal London but those benefits are reduced as the opposition sides are also drastically weakened also. The Hundred, what it gives with one hand, it takes away with the other. Every. Handful of cash. Counts.
Cruetking have you tried downloading an e-voucher from Mumsnet for tickets? You could also ask your local primary school to see if they've still got any of their complimentary allocation remaining but they've probably all been returned before the hols started.
DeleteWait until the Test has ended, then give my friends in the ticket office a call, I'm sure they will be able to supply you with as many TR returned tickets as you have bottoms to put on those seats. Have a lovely day with your shiny calculator. Mr Magpie says he's very interested in your shiny calculator, in truth he has penchant for all shiny things.
Look after the trees, because they will then look after you.
Notts Viewer - the 100 Comp has created anger and strong opinions . But its now taking place and appears to be doing well . Tonights attendance at the Oval was 21,500 !
ReplyDeleteThis on a MONDAY night!
The Blast attracts the same number of spectators at the Oval on a Friday .
But ghe Monday is a harder sell .
Let me ask you a question.
Do you ( and others on here) wish the 100 to fail ?
The ECB evidently have invested over 80% of their reserves on it being a success.
If it fails ( and I dont for a moment think it will) what will be the next step to help galvanise interest in cricket in the UK?
I have been a Member of Notts CCC since Sir Garfield signed so I cant be lectured by anyone about the state of cricket in general in the UK . Some so called fans oppose every change in the game at every stage and at every time. Of the 4 current formats of the game I much prefer the 4 day game to anything else. Look on the Notts ccc balance sheet . How much revenue does the 4 day stuff bring in over a FULL SEASON.? The amount is embarrassing . Notts could just about survive for quite a time but other Counties could not.
The 100 comp is now a no brainer.
IT HAS TO SUCCEED
SO WE SHOULD SUPPORT IT
THE 100 BALL FANS ARE VOTING WITH THEIR FEET
YOU CANNOT SWIM AGAINST THE TIDE FOR LONG
SOME ON HERE WILL SOON BE EATING HUMBLE PIE.
You've not read the strong opinions on here CRUETKING as I've filtered them out, but you can be safe to assume that not that many are complimentary towards your POV.
DeleteYou appear to want to validate your opinion by using the published attendance figures, much as Harry Gurney does on Twitter but let me ask you how bad it would have to be before people would stop turning up, given all the hype, the previous banning of spectators to all sporting events due to covid (for over a year) or even starved of anykind of live event and the oxygen it has had on the BBC?
London has a population of, let's say 10 million but use 8 million just to be kind.
London has two franchises targetting that elusive new audience, so let's half that 8 million (it's OK I don't need a calculator).
The ECB are only interested in lower age groups, so let's say their target is 20% of those 4 million - that's 800,000 young people but many of those will need an adult to take them anywhere and especially to a Hundred match in the evening at the Oval.
How much has the ECB spent on advertising this competition? Millions!
If the Oval was filled with 21,000 young people, I'd say that was a good return, 1 in 40 of your target, but it wasn't filled with that target demographic was it? It was a typical T20 crowd.
The Leicester guy yesterday asked you to define certain words / parameters, can I ask you to just define "fail"?
The Hundred mustn't fail, as the ECB has put all its eggs in the Hundred basket, all of the Counties' eggs too and other eggs it doesn't have yet. For the sake of County cricket, it must not fail.
Would a failure to attract a new audience, even if grounds are at capacity, be seen as being a failure?
Would a switch to T20 with the existing franchise brands be deemed a failure?
Would a switch to two divisions of T20 and 18 counties, promoted in a similar way to the Hundred be deemed a failure of the Hundred?
The T20 format has proved its longevity, can the Hundred co-exist without destroying its predecessor?
The ECB's aim, as I would understand, was to have more people interested in cricket and participating in cricket - well that's too early to measure. One thing that can be seen however is that the people going to these Hundred events are the same mix of people that attend T20 games - ignore the selective camera shots that focus-in on the kids and their mothers, that's all propaganda.
You confuse cricket fans with 100 BALL FANS, at the moment there's only one show in town so of course some cricket fans will go as we've not been allowed to go previously.
Another number to think about.
Alzheimer's UK tell me 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, a large number you'd agree. But with such a large number it still doesn't mean it is popular!
Readers on NottsView will be pleased to hear this is my last posting about the pro,s and cons of the very controversial 100 Baller.
ReplyDeleteFor what its worth I have said my piece and now its for others to carry on and discuss it . Thanks to those who replied to my observations. We are all entitled to our opinions and its beneficial to express them. As to the future I wish Trent Rockets continued success which in turn will help to fill the wonderful Trent Bridge cricket ground.
It’s early days yet(for the 100). It’s an interesting debate. I suspect that it’s going to come down to a leave/remain type debate that will still be argued about in 5 years time, with neither side changing their stance from these early weeks.the by- product for me has been the very enjoyable 50 over competition that is running by the side of / because of it.i don’t like the fact that we, the fans and the team have been evicted from Trent Bridge because of it though.does anyone know what the following has been like for the 50/50 on the live stream?
ReplyDeleteWell said Mr Chappell !
ReplyDeleteIn these times, we can't be choosy about allies !
Final word to Notts Viewer and others for well reasoned arguments and pointing out things that are not obvious.
ReplyDeleteAs Fox Road says - the debate will go on - and - on and on !
The fixture schedule has been a shambles for years, but this year worse than ever.
ReplyDeleteThe Hundred has us on the verge of civi war in English and Welsh cricket.
At Trent Bridge England
went 0 for 1 for the fifth time this year, our previous worst in a whole year was 3.
Hope we recover, as I have good friends there, but fact remains we have picked a team where only one player has an average of 35 or over in Test Cricket.
And ECB seem to think they are doing a great job !?
Well, despite all the conjecture over the last 3 years and endless endless debate, the Hundred obviously has worked(at least in its first season anyway). 50 over cricket, often on outgrounds with three quarters of the 18 counties hugely depleted from I have seen also has worked.The majority of the games have been pretty competitive and the crowds reasonably good, so there is clearly an appetite for this weakened format still. The t20 blast (albeit with severely reduced capacities) as per usual worked again and I suspect the Test series against India will also be played in front of largely full arenas. So, this being the case is it really so inconceivable that all four competitions can all succeed alongside each other after all ? I suspect the biggest problem completely uncontrollable to any of this is the British weather as to how well games are attended still.
ReplyDeleteYou sound just like another poster WW, we know that you're a fan, along with your Dad. It is still too early to say if the Hindered is a success or not. More people have seen cricket on TV that's for sure - but if the BBC showed Notts Prem League - that would get an audience that exceeds anything Sky ever gets, so that proves nothing. Harry Gurney would have you believe all stadiums have been sold out (except for all those empty seats that we're not supposed to notice). Pre-covid the Blast sold out stadiums up and down the country with a fraction of the Hindered advertising budget. The only real measure of success will be if young people are clamouring to join cricket clubs in order to participate next April. Then again, there's always a crowd of kids down my local club for sessions of Kwik cricket in past years so they'll spin it as the Hindered effect NO DOUBT.
ReplyDeleteFor me the Hindered games are exhibition matches, all about fun BUT the results don't matter, they are of zero consequence, the winners forgotten as soon as I've switched over to a different channel.
A nice analogy I heard someone say recently: The Hindered is to county cricket, what WWE is to real wrestling.
Greetings grapple fans. It all depends wether you are a WWE or WWF fan. I’m neither, give me Kent Walton at 4 o’clock on world of sport from the brigg town hall.
ReplyDelete