interesting game last night between the 2 London teams .. it shows how these short format games can swing in just a few balls .. this went to a last ball finish after looking all over after about 60 (of the 100) second innings balls .. the Oval was packed and made as much noise as a football crowd, though somewhat better humoured than most
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
good post .. the 100 is running at the same time as the 50 over competition. Most counties have been stripped of their best players for the 50 over to supply the 100 .. I foresee the demise of the 50 over game .. I'd like to see a 40 over tournament outside the 100 envelope, though it's unlikely to happen .. no doubt the 100 has caught the public imagination and the 20/20 tournaments are still popular .. they suit the modern need for quick, exciting, undemanding to watch and 'disposable' entertainment .. time will tell if people's appetite for the quick fix ever wears off ..
me ? .. I enjoy the 100 the 20/20 games AND county and test 'traditional' cricket
I wonder if there's a correlation between those that have adopted such a sneering, snobbish, unpleasant attitude to the competition, and to those that get enjoyment out of it, with having access to Sky Sports? And the time for long form cricket.
I can't justify the cost of Sky Sports at the moment. So effectively I'm reliant on the scraps of cricket coverage on C4/BBC. I'd love to see more cricket, of all formats, on the box. But realistically that's not happening.
So I'll take what I can get and I really enjoyed last year's 100 and I'm looking forward to catching plenty of games after work this year. If that makes me someone with no attention span and a "mental age of a child of 5" then so be it.
I prefer to think of it as someone who doesn't have the money for Sky and a full time job that means I can't sit there watching cricket for 8 hours at a time.
I was playing 20/20 cricket 40+ years ago .. after work during the long summer evenings, a perfect format and very popular all over the country, often played on plastic pitches .. it was taken as seriously as the longer and very competitive Sunday league games to take advantage of the all too short English summers .. in a way then, the 20/20 is really the true working man's game .. discuss ((:>)
Went last night and had a great time. Have never really had any interest in cricket but found it really enjoyable. Got tickets for a game at the end of the month too.
Went last night and had a great time. Have never really had any interest in cricket but found it really enjoyable. Got tickets for a game at the end of the month too.
Did you "support" one of the teams? Or did you just go to watch the spectacle of the match?
Went last night and had a great time. Have never really had any interest in cricket but found it really enjoyable. Got tickets for a game at the end of the month too.
Did you "support" one of the teams? Or did you just go to watch the spectacle of the match?
Just went to watch. The way it unfolded I wanted the invincibles to do it but I wouldn’t really say I was supporting them.
I did quite like shouting “up the nuts” at various points because of their sponsor though
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
I don't disagree with you on what it means for 50 over cricket - but looking at last night it's hard to just dismiss it. The crowd loved it, the players loved it (Eoin Morgan said it's the closest domestic match he's ever played to an international), and no doubt the tv audience would have loved it too.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
Went last night and had a great time. Have never really had any interest in cricket but found it really enjoyable. Got tickets for a game at the end of the month too.
Did you "support" one of the teams? Or did you just go to watch the spectacle of the match?
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
I don't disagree with you on what it means for 50 over cricket - but looking at last night it's hard to just dismiss it. The crowd loved it, the players loved it (Eoin Morgan said it's the closest domestic match he's ever played to an international), and no doubt the tv audience would have loved it too.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
So they could have reformed the Blast and spread all this new money around the counties then?
6 groups of 6 playing each other twice
Winners of each group go through, winners with 4 worst records play off as we only want 16 teams in the knockout stage
= Total of 51 games
Or top 2 from each group go through, with worst 4 eliminated and you have a total of 71 games
Either way, it's less games than IPL and the countries would make more because all the hundred money and marketing would directly benefit the counties.
I imagine the real reason for the change (apart from the ECB having a hard on for franchises) is that the blast is tied up in long term contracts with counties and broadcasters that meant they couldn't just unilaterally change the format and duration of the competition.
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
I don't disagree with you on what it means for 50 over cricket - but looking at last night it's hard to just dismiss it. The crowd loved it, the players loved it (Eoin Morgan said it's the closest domestic match he's ever played to an international), and no doubt the tv audience would have loved it too.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
So they could have reformed the Blast and spread all this new money around the counties then?
6 groups of 6 playing each other twice
Winners of each group go through, winners with 4 worst records play off as we only want 16 teams in the knockout stage
= Total of 51 games
Or top 2 from each group go through, with worst 4 eliminated and you have a total of 71 games
Either way, it's less games than IPL and the countries would make more because all the hundred money and marketing would directly benefit the counties.
I imagine the real reason for the change (apart from the ECB having a hard on for franchises) is that the blast is tied up in long term contracts with counties and broadcasters that meant they couldn't just unilaterally change the format and duration of the competition.
Absolutely, and I would have massively preferred the Blast being shaken up instead of a new competition being introduced. But as you say, existing contracts with the counties meant they couldn’t do that and so to create a white ball tournament that rivals others they went down the Hundred route.
Not saying I agree with it, just looking at the question of ‘need’ that was mentioned above.
As a traditional cricket fan I want to dislike the Hundred, but when watching it find it difficult to not enjoy some of the best players in the world, and some excellent young English players, going head to head in front of sold out stadiums.
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
I don't disagree with you on what it means for 50 over cricket - but looking at last night it's hard to just dismiss it. The crowd loved it, the players loved it (Eoin Morgan said it's the closest domestic match he's ever played to an international), and no doubt the tv audience would have loved it too.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
So they could have reformed the Blast and spread all this new money around the counties then?
6 groups of 6 playing each other twice
Winners of each group go through, winners with 4 worst records play off as we only want 16 teams in the knockout stage
= Total of 51 games
Or top 2 from each group go through, with worst 4 eliminated and you have a total of 71 games
Either way, it's less games than IPL and the countries would make more because all the hundred money and marketing would directly benefit the counties.
I imagine the real reason for the change (apart from the ECB having a hard on for franchises) is that the blast is tied up in long term contracts with counties and broadcasters that meant they couldn't just unilaterally change the format and duration of the competition.
Are you suggesting the counties could increase their income by halving the number of games they play?
The Hundred is designed for TV, hence the "one game at a time" nature of it. But that decimates cricket as a live sport for most spectators, if it wasn't for the 50 over competition going on as well, there would be tiny amounts of cricket going in this month.
This weekend for example, in the heart of the summer, there's one Hundred game tomorrow in Nottingham, and one on Sunday in Cardiff.
Indeed looking at the schedule, each franchise plays 8 group stage matches, that's FOUR home matches in the whole of August, which is a pathetic level of live cricket, when you consider it's at the expense of the 50 over competition being downgraded and the county championship not being played at all.
Good crowd last night at the Oval. My son went with his girlfriend. The Cricket purists won't like this, but you have to have a product him and his girlfriend would want to go to.
It is like going to a evening football match timewise. That is a massive draw.
The Hundred is designed for TV, hence the "one game at a time" nature of it. But that decimates cricket as a live sport for most spectators, if it wasn't for the 50 over competition going on as well, there would be tiny amounts of cricket going in this month.
This weekend for example, in the heart of the summer, there's one Hundred game tomorrow in Nottingham, and one on Sunday in Cardiff.
Indeed looking at the schedule, each franchise plays 8 group stage matches, that's FOUR home matches in the whole of August, which is a pathetic level of live cricket, when you consider it's at the expense of the 50 over competition being downgraded and the county championship not being played at all.
It still very likely that more people will watch games in The Hundred on television, than if they had many more games, untelevised, with love spectators.
The Hundred opens up free-to-air audiences that utterly dwarf the numbers of people that would attend games, even if they decided to put many, many more games on.
Good crowd last night at the Oval. My son went with his girlfriend. The Cricket purists won't like this, but you have to have a product him and his girlfriend would want to go to.
It is like going to a evening football match timewise. That is a massive draw.
That's no different from watching Blast games in the evening though, The Oval has been getting packed crowds for Surrey Blast games for years, with music etc, it's not as if all county cricket is old men applauding forward defensive shots while reading The Telegraph
Ignoring what The Hundred might mean for cricket, last nights game was obviously very exciting and a bit of a bonkers game of cricket, featuring some top international stars, and plenty of young English talent on display as well.
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
I dismiss it since it undermines the one day cup, which is my favourite format. I can’t get to many games so I buy a Kent six pack membership and now watch games depleted of many quality players. I also question the need, given the similarity in length to T20, the authenticity & validity of manufactured teams, the utter lack of relevance to international cricket and personally loathe the bright gaudy colours - it’s like watching the 60s Batman series!
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
I don't disagree with you on what it means for 50 over cricket - but looking at last night it's hard to just dismiss it. The crowd loved it, the players loved it (Eoin Morgan said it's the closest domestic match he's ever played to an international), and no doubt the tv audience would have loved it too.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
So they could have reformed the Blast and spread all this new money around the counties then?
6 groups of 6 playing each other twice
Winners of each group go through, winners with 4 worst records play off as we only want 16 teams in the knockout stage
= Total of 51 games
Or top 2 from each group go through, with worst 4 eliminated and you have a total of 71 games
Either way, it's less games than IPL and the countries would make more because all the hundred money and marketing would directly benefit the counties.
I imagine the real reason for the change (apart from the ECB having a hard on for franchises) is that the blast is tied up in long term contracts with counties and broadcasters that meant they couldn't just unilaterally change the format and duration of the competition.
Are you suggesting the counties could increase their income by halving the number of games they play?
I'm suggesting the money being pumped into the hundred is greater than the possible gate loses to the counties, so yes they would have greater income from fewer games.
You could possibly argue that some of the bigger venues that sell out ever T20 and rake in corporateoney may make less, but the majority would make more.
Maybe that last sentence is instructive on why a brand new competition was deemed necessary. The test hosting counties get both t20 income and 100 income and everybody else can suck eggs as far as they are concerned. They've thrown a few bones out to secure the other counties agreement, but make no mistake, they are pocketing the majority of the money.
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play: IPL - 74 BBL - 61 PSL - 34 Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
So ECB's solution to the blast being too long was to keep it and introduce another competition over the top. That's the exact opposite of anything rational.
Restructuring the 20/20 contest could have been achieved just as easily but maybe without a truckload of new cash from a heart disease and diabetes peddling corporation.
Two divisions with promotion and relegation, even playoffs, central funding for counties to buy in the foreign mercenaries or a draft process with last season's worst team getting first pick. There's loads that could have been done to generate interest, tv coverage while simultaneously reduce the overwork of players and grow the women's game. But there's nobody with the integrity or imagination at ECB. The current structure doesn't even pretend it's not part of the hatchet job the elite counties (test grounds) are pushing to excise the poorer counties and keep all the revenue in a much smaller cabal.
Northern Derby .. Salt kept wicket last night, Capn Buttler stationed at mid off to chat to his bowlers, he should do this when skippering England, though his captaincy i m o leaves a lot to be desired, his choice of bowlers last night cost his side the game .. the Yorkie outfit beat the Lancies quite comfortably in a decent game
Comments
The crowd clearly absolutely loved it and I think those on here who just dismiss it as a product because they don't like what it might mean may need to think again. It's not going away and is only going to become bigger and bigger.
Disclaimer - I am not a cheerleader for The Hundred, in fact I have serious reservations about it but just looking solely at the product it's impossible just to dismiss it as some mickey mouse competition.
This is straight up naked greed by the ECB and can only be detrimental to the national game
It is exactly a Micky Mouse competition
me ? .. I enjoy the 100 the 20/20 games AND county and test 'traditional' cricket
I can't justify the cost of Sky Sports at the moment. So effectively I'm reliant on the scraps of cricket coverage on C4/BBC. I'd love to see more cricket, of all formats, on the box. But realistically that's not happening.
So I'll take what I can get and I really enjoyed last year's 100 and I'm looking forward to catching plenty of games after work this year. If that makes me someone with no attention span and a "mental age of a child of 5" then so be it.
I prefer to think of it as someone who doesn't have the money for Sky and a full time job that means I can't sit there watching cricket for 8 hours at a time.
Great finish.
I miss evenings at the Oval 😩😩😩😩
On your question of need. The ECB want to have a global white ball tournament to rival the IPL, BBL, PSL, ABT10 etc etc, and the Blast could not do that. 18 counties meant far too many games to create a league to rival those I've mentioned.
If you look at how many games various tournaments play:
IPL - 74
BBL - 61
PSL - 34
Vitality Blast - 133
It's just too many games to keep peoples interest and a terrestrial broadcaster like the BBC was not going to take it with that many games. Effectively the ECB could either cut down the Blast to 10 teams or create something different and that's the route they've gone down.
I am worried for domestic cricket in this country, especially the 50 over game, but unfortunately the global game is becoming more and more skewed to franchise white ball tournaments and the ECB obviously felt they needed to be part of it.
6 groups of 6 playing each other twice
Or top 2 from each group go through, with worst 4 eliminated and you have a total of 71 games
Either way, it's less games than IPL and the countries would make more because all the hundred money and marketing would directly benefit the counties.
I imagine the real reason for the change (apart from the ECB having a hard on for franchises) is that the blast is tied up in long term contracts with counties and broadcasters that meant they couldn't just unilaterally change the format and duration of the competition.
This weekend for example, in the heart of the summer, there's one Hundred game tomorrow in Nottingham, and one on Sunday in Cardiff.
Indeed looking at the schedule, each franchise plays 8 group stage matches, that's FOUR home matches in the whole of August, which is a pathetic level of live cricket, when you consider it's at the expense of the 50 over competition being downgraded and the county championship not being played at all.
It is like going to a evening football match timewise. That is a massive draw.
The Hundred opens up free-to-air audiences that utterly dwarf the numbers of people that would attend games, even if they decided to put many, many more games on.
Restructuring the 20/20 contest could have been achieved just as easily but maybe without a truckload of new cash from a heart disease and diabetes peddling corporation.
Two divisions with promotion and relegation, even playoffs, central funding for counties to buy in the foreign mercenaries or a draft process with last season's worst team getting first pick. There's loads that could have been done to generate interest, tv coverage while simultaneously reduce the overwork of players and grow the women's game.
But there's nobody with the integrity or imagination at ECB.
The current structure doesn't even pretend it's not part of the hatchet job the elite counties (test grounds) are pushing to excise the poorer counties and keep all the revenue in a much smaller cabal.
Simple fact is the ECB, the BBC and Sky have invested so much money into this competition they have to big it up no matter how bad it is.
Looking at the TV Times, at 2.30pm, BBC are showing the Invincibles v Northern Superchargers MEN'S match....
...followed by the same franchises WOMEN's match at 6.30pm.
Is that going to hit the spot for those who work in London & would make their way to the ground for beer & cricket ?
And how many will stay around for the women's match ?
Then ditto for the matches on Friday - Southern Braves v London Spirit.
Lord's Test starts Wed 17th.
Far from sold out I understand.