*Official* The Hundred 2024 thread

[Molehill]

My 7 year and his mate had a great time at Headingley yesterday even though the matches weren't anything special.

For all the issues the Hundred causes, it genuinely is the best ticket for families.

Yes, but I just had a timeline memory of taking my daughter to a Blast double header. We saw both Ellyse Perry and Dale Steyn…. That seemed a pretty good ticket.

We didn’t need the Hundred.

 

[GIMH]

Probably am wrong. Don't think that changes the fact that Him bowling 10 over spells after knee surgery because he refuses to trust bashir is far more likely to cause an injury then the small amount of cricket he played in those hundred games.

He didn't play in the Blast - but did play a few championship games which included 10 over spells.

He may have not wanted to play in the Blast himself at the time as he worked back to full-time bowling. Don't forget he also opted out of the T20WC himself

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Yes, but I just had a timeline memory of taking my daughter to a Blast double header. We saw both Ellyse Perry and Dale Steyn…. That seemed a pretty good ticket.

We didn’t need the Hundred.

Yeah there's plenty of unnecessary trappings with the Hundred for sure - and in another timeline the Blast could have done the job the Hundred was created for.

But the men & women double headers as standard through the school summer holidays, at relatively affordable prices, plus some free to air televised games is all good stuff that I'm glad exists. If the Hundred disappeared and the Blast filled those niches then I wouldn't be complaining. I've had some great times at the Blast too, but I don't think Ellyse Perry/Dale Steyn double headers were ever the norm?

 

[GIMH]

Coming up against the Olympics is a problem cricket is going to have every four years anyway, most of the time. If you put The Hundred outside its current window for that reason then you're messing the domestic schedule around again.

 

[Molehill]

Coming up against the Olympics is a problem cricket is going to have every four years anyway, most of the time. If you put The Hundred outside its current window for that reason then you're messing the domestic schedule around again.

I suspect that most cricket fans would be more committed to attending a Test Match during the Olympics than a Hundred game…

Next 2 Olympics different time zones anyway.

 

[GIMH]

I suspect that most cricket fans would be more committed to attending a Test Match during the Olympics than a Hundred game…

Next 2 Olympics different time zones anyway.

Right but a couple of things there...& btw not all of the below is a reply to you!!

Would you not rather The Hundred was the one clashing with the Olympics? It's like in the darker days of English LOI cricket, the white ball series were always scheduled to coincide with the footy tournaments rather than the Tests.

& attendances for The Hundred have been pretty good. TV audiences probably down due to Olympic factor. Not sure how they compare year on year but there was a full house on Sunday at OT. Midweek evenings have been hit and miss which they always will be. There's a reason why we generally have two scheduled days of cricket at the weekend for Tests - granted it didn't quite go to plan in the first Test this summer.

I mean I don't disagree with many arguments against The Hundred being the wrong solution etc. As a parochial old schooler I dislike the franchise concept and one of my long-term arguments against it came to fruition with me refusing to even countenance 'supporting' a team called Manchester even though I try and get to a few Lancs games each year. Not making it a T20 comp was unnecessary and frankly insulting to the intelligence of the target audience. They've not been as successful at getting some of the biggest names as they expected.

All this is known and true. But none of this really ties in with your point about people not paying attention, Olympic factor etc. That's more of a retrofit argument. People who were following it last year still appear to be. The women's game is still getting a boost. I watched a bunch of young girls excitedly queue for Kate Cross's autograph on Sunday. & then a bunch of kids not even old enough to spell 2005 go mad for Freddie appearing on the stairs. You aren't going to tell me this is a bad thing. And more to the point, these arguments about Stokes getting injured are just churlish. I want the young kids watching Ben Stokes play cricket, at £5 a ticket. You ain't getting that in Test Cricket unless you happen to be free for a Test going to day 5 that's near you.

It's absolutely right that Stokes, and Root, and any other top-tier England players do play in The Hundred. Two of not just our greatest cricketers, but our greatest sportsmen this century and two parents and two kids can go and watch them, and their female counterparts, for £50 total. I've paid £40+ to take one under 18 with me to watch some of the worst professional footballers in the country FFS. Sometimes people get injured playing sports. **** happens and god knows I was in a right old sulk when I watched him get carried off. But I was in a sulk that it had happened, not where it happened. I've never bought it in any sports. I've had this debate with TRFC fans when our best midfielder had his season ended in an FA Cup tie with Chesterfield. You know how you can avoid getting injured? Never play. You still might get injured, but hey, the risk is minimised.

I mean where does it end. Let's just pretend this didn't happen on Sunday but that this was also an Ashes winter. If he then got injured in a 'dead rubber' V Sri Lanka and misses the Ashes you probably have some people saying 'he shouldn't have been playing.'

Nah sorry. All this can get in the bin to my line of thinking. I mean I'm 40 FFS and I was giddy at watching Stokes, Brook and Salt on Sunday. & I've seen them all before, multiple times, some very recently. That's what sport should do. & sure there's an argument to be had that you can do that with the Blast. But with 18 teams and the quality trade-off, you aren't going to get the same attraction. That's just reality, sadly.

 

[trundler]

Right but a couple of things there...& btw not all of the below is a reply to you!!

Would you not rather The Hundred was the one clashing with the Olympics? It's like in the darker days of English LOI cricket, the white ball series were always scheduled to coincide with the footy tournaments rather than the Tests.

& attendances for The Hundred have been pretty good. TV audiences probably down due to Olympic factor. Not sure how they compare year on year but there was a full house on Sunday at OT. Midweek evenings have been hit and miss which they always will be. There's a reason why we generally have two scheduled days of cricket at the weekend for Tests - granted it didn't quite go to plan in the first Test this summer.

I mean I don't disagree with many arguments against The Hundred being the wrong solution etc. As a parochial old schooler I dislike the franchise concept and one of my long-term arguments against it came to fruition with me refusing to even countenance 'supporting' a team called Manchester even though I try and get to a few Lancs games each year. Not making it a T20 comp was unnecessary and frankly insulting to the intelligence of the target audience. They've not been as successful at getting some of the biggest names as they expected.

All this is known and true. But none of this really ties in with your point about people not paying attention, Olympic factor etc. That's more of a retrofit argument. People who were following it last year still appear to be. The women's game is still getting a boost. I watched a bunch of young girls excitedly queue for Kate Cross's autograph on Sunday. & then a bunch of kids not even old enough to spell 2005 go mad for Freddie appearing on the stairs. You aren't going to tell me this is a bad thing. And more to the point, these arguments about Stokes getting injured are just churlish. I want the young kids watching Ben Stokes play cricket, at £5 a ticket. You ain't getting that in Test Cricket unless you happen to be free for a Test going to day 5 that's near you.

It's absolutely right that Stokes, and Root, and any other top-tier England players do play in The Hundred. Two of not just our greatest cricketers, but our greatest sportsmen this century and two parents and two kids can go and watch them, and their female counterparts, for £50 total. I've paid £40+ to take one under 18 with me to watch some of the worst professional footballers in the country FFS. Sometimes people get injured playing sports. **** happens and god knows I was in a right old sulk when I watched him get carried off. But I was in a sulk that it had happened, not where it happened. I've never bought it in any sports. I've had this debate with TRFC fans when our best midfielder had his season ended in an FA Cup tie with Chesterfield. You know how you can avoid getting injured? Never play. You still might get injured, but hey, the risk is minimised.

I mean where does it end. Let's just pretend this didn't happen on Sunday but that this was also an Ashes winter. If he then got injured in a 'dead rubber' V Sri Lanka and misses the Ashes you probably have some people saying 'he shouldn't have been playing.'

Nah sorry. All this can get in the bin to my line of thinking. I mean I'm 40 FFS and I was giddy at watching Stokes, Brook and Salt on Sunday. & I've seen them all before, multiple times, some very recently. That's what sport should do. & sure there's an argument to be had that you can do that with the Blast. But with 18 teams and the quality trade-off, you aren't going to get the same attraction. That's just reality, sadly.

ok

 

[GIMH]

ok

Speaking of people who can’t spell 2005

 

[mackembhoy]

Yeah there's plenty of unnecessary trappings with the Hundred for sure - and in another timeline the Blast could have done the job the Hundred was created for.

But the men & women double headers as standard through the school summer holidays, at relatively affordable prices, plus some free to air televised games is all good stuff that I'm glad exists. If the Hundred disappeared and the Blast filled those niches then I wouldn't be complaining. I've had some great times at the Blast too, but I don't think Ellyse Perry/Dale Steyn double headers were ever the norm?

Making tickets affordable, having the blast in the summer holidays and having double headers with women's games are all things that could have been done to the blast.
Without spending all of the ECB cash reserves(that's a big reason the tickets are so cheap anyway as they've subsidised the tickets)

The CEO of the ECB pretty much admitted they only created the competition to get outward investment anyway. So it's one big white elephant of a lie.

The ECB CEO that was one of the biggest critics of it in the first place now having to go hand in cap to Indian investors. Pathetic really.

 

[CartyDurham]

When the blast started and till this day kids and families used to attend at reduced prices

the hundred has brought nothing that the blast created back in 2003 onwards

however it will eventually ruin Englands test team , which will be greeted with joy in some places

the crowds have been down from what I see on screen and as the fad drifts away will decrease in future

the promised best v best scenario has never happened and the rest of the world are not playing this format

I see there is a 60 ball tournament upcoming though

 

[CartyDurham]

Just seen Atkinson and it appears he has dyed his hair bleach blonde

 

[GIMH]

however it will eventually ruin Englands test team , which will be greeted with joy in some places

I don’t see how this is true

 

[CartyDurham]

I don’t see how this is true

Players and making money. As time goes by more will only play white ball cricket, an example are the West Indies.

Also there are stories of players signing year long contracts for their ipl teams . I hope it does not happen to England and we shall see, but the mighty pull of big money for bowling four overs or slogging 20 balls is so tempting

the peak summer month is already given over to white ball cricket

re tonight I want to correct that Atkinson is bowling for Oval invincibles

 

[Hungry Llama]

Players and making money. As time goes by more will only play white ball cricket, an example are the West Indies.

Also there are stories of players signing year long contracts for their ipl teams . I hope it does not happen to England and we shall see, but the mighty pull of big money for bowling four overs or slogging 20 balls is so tempting

the peak summer month is already given over to white ball cricket

i can understand that i just wish it was the CC teams that had front billing not a crap format which looks so fake

re tonight I want to correct that Atkinson is bowling for Oval invincibles

yes indeed; he went for 28 off 10 balls.

For once I wished i'd watched the 100 as the mysterious and usually absent John Turner bowled 5 balls at TB tonite.

 

[Molehill]

I don’t see how this is true

If the Indians do get hold of The Hundred then we are screwed. Look how SA had to send a second string Test Team to NZ because the big boys had to stay and play SA20. Who owns those teams? The ECB has invested heavily in this shitshow and to the surprise of literally no one, it has not delivered what they hoped (although, tbh, more people have turned up than I thought would - but that's probably down to subsidised ticketing).

You got giddy about seeing Stokes, Salt and Brook play. I got giddy about seeing Steyn in the Blast. Where is his International Superstar equivalent in this competition?

 

[GIMH]

You got giddy about seeing Stokes, Salt and Brook play. I got giddy about seeing Steyn in the Blast. Where is his International Superstar equivalent in this competition?

I mean I literally acknowledged the paucity of international stars as in my post

 

[FBU]

i can understand that i just wish it was the CC teams that had front billing not a crap format which looks so fake



yes indeed; he went for 28 off 10 balls.

For once I wished i'd watched the 100 as the mysterious and usually absent John Turner bowled 5 balls at TB tonite.

Captain forgot about him last night. Last two matches
20-8-24-3 - Vince, du Plooy, Evans
20-11-17-2 - Ali, Mousley

 

[Molehill]

I think this is an interesting point:

& sure there's an argument to be had that you can do that with the Blast. But with 18 teams and the quality trade-off, you aren't going to get the same attraction. That's just reality, sadly.

This quality trade-off you talk of, I just don't see it. Tom Alsop scored a ton for Sussex in the Metro Cup which seemingly earned him a starting place for the Trent Rockets, where he twice made telling contributions. Got a lot of time for Alsop, but is that where this comp is at?

At least with the Blast you have domestic loyalty to guarantee support, that's what the 18 teams bring. And with seemingly no quality trade off, it might need something like that to keep people coming back.

If the Women's Teams went back to the Blast, it would also allow (as it did back then) double headers at more than just the 8 grounds associated with the Hundred. For example, the Vipers would play at Hove as well as S*uthampton, the SE Stars could play at Canterbury too etc etc.

Interest in the Hundred is going to slowly drift away unless the ECB sell it off to the IPL teams, the knock on effects of which don't really bare thinking about.

 

[chris.hinton]

Birmingham Phoenix into the finals then in the mens competition, I believe that this is the 1st time this happened since the competition has started. Don't follow it of course

 

[chris.hinton]

The matches for the rest of the Mens competition

Birmingham Phoenix vs Southern Brave - Saturday (The Oval)

The Winner of that will play Oval Invincibles in the final at Lords - Sunday