Future Of The Hundred In Jeopardy as ECB And Counties Considering Changes
One-hundred-ball cricket is a form of limited-overs cricket, played by two teams each playing a single innings made up of 100 balls per inning and bowlers bowling either 5 or 10 consecutive balls.
Games last approximately two and a half hours. Eight city-based teams compete during the school summer holidays.
All men’s and women’s matches are held on the same day on the same grounds. In total, there were 32 matches in the league.
Each team played four matches at home and four matches away, This will include one match against every other side and then a second bonus match against their nearest regional rivals.
The team that ultimately finishes top of the men’s and women’s league progresses straight into the final.
The teams finishing second and third will compete in the Eliminator (or semi-final), with the winner progressing into the final.
However, The controversial competition could change to a Twenty20 format with 18 teams, two divisions, and a new name.
The Game Format In Jeopardy
Discussions about both the tournament’s format and future are going to be encouraged while counties will be asked to consider altering the T20 Blast and the value of an FA Cup-style knockout involving the National Counties.
The future of the men’s Hundred has been thrown into chaos with early discussions taking place over potentially rebranding the competition as an English Premier League and expanding to 18 teams, with a new promotion and relegation system introduced.
The ambition would be for the women’s tournament to eventually use the same format, though there might not be enough teams for it to do so from the start.
Rebranding And The New Structure
The Indian Premier League owners, who invest in leagues worldwide and are known to be interested in the English game, may provide financial support if the Hundred is made open to private investment.
Additionally, a private ownership component might attract financiers from the USA, the UAE, and even Saudi Arabia.
Last year the ECB extended its broadcast partnership with Sky until 2028, with the tournament a key part of that package and the broadcaster boasting of having played “a key part in its development”.
A senior source at Sky told the Guardian that they “remain huge fans of the competition” which had “been a huge success taking the game to new audiences”.
The most likely new structure would see the number of teams increase from 10 to 18, split into two divisions, with a team running alongside, but independently of, each first-class county and branding focused on cities.
Abandoning the 100-ball format would mean the tournament would have to be renamed though the fact that football’s Premier League is widely known as the EPL would make the most obvious rebranding problematic.
