SAM MORSHEAD: The conversation around the 100-ball competition has to alter. But the ECB must be held to account over some issues that remain unresolved
It has been very easy to target The Hundred for criticism over the course of the past year-and-a-half, most specifically because of the scattergun, haphazard nature of its PR.
Information leaked readily and frequently from within, depicting a project which always appeared to be keeping up with its own appearance; its various foibles and flaws roadtested in the public arena before they had been properly analysed in-house.
There was never a coherent, decisive message from those in charge of introducing the brand to the world, and so we ended up with confused soundbites about mums and children in the school holidays and how The Hundred was not necessarily for people ‘inside cricket’.
No attempt was made to engage doubters or change the minds of dissenters. Divisions were allowed to fester and brew, and we have ended up with a partisan split.
Organisers have become weary at the relentless and occasionally blinkered nature of opposition; broadcasters have become irritated by being seen as the bad guys despite their multi-million pound investment; communications staff within the walls of ECB HQ have become frustrated, perhaps embittered, by a probing and picky media; county administrators have become stuck between two stools - one softened by a £1.3million cushion, the other not.
And so we have reached this inglorious impasse, where protest groups have formed on one side and resolves have strengthened on the other. No good can come of this. In order for the debate to rediscover some semblance of civility, we have to embrace No Man’s Land, and everyone is responsible.
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There are fundamental questions which the ECB still have not fully addressed with regards to the new competition’s impact on the fabric of county cricket, the scope and detail of the research which led them in The Hundred’s direction, and their apparent indifference towards the genuine and heartfelt worries - in many places anger - of existing supporters of the domestic game.
These are the subjects which most pertinently affect the sport, not the identity of sponsors or the five-ball blocks or the inane pseudo-emotive psychobabble which tells us that London Spirit are “lighting the way for the future” and Welsh Fire’s “hunger will prove the haters wrong”.
We can mock organisers for using a picture of a Miami rap concert to push family entertainment, or for photoshopping New Balance-sponsored Jason Roy into Slazenger kit, or juxtaposing ‘Oval Invincibles’ with the very vincible logo of an umpire’s raised finger - and we have in these pages - but ultimately none of that really matters.
And if we do not recognise that this tournament does have some redeeming, positive features then how can we possibly expect our fears and concerns to be taken seriously?
We do not want to become the bloke in the corner of the pub who has not a single word of praise or constructive criticism to offer, because - let’s face it - how many of us give a second’s thought to his utterances? Does he not end up as background noise, barely recognisable over the hum of the air conditioning and the clinking of glasses?
Steve Smith leads the overseas stars who have entered The Hundred draft
Undoubtedly, The Hundred will represent the largest single concentration of international cricketing superstars within the English game. Ever. Whether you regard these men and women as mercenaries or role models does not really matter, the fact is that during late July and early August 2020, there will not be a cricket tournament on this planet with bigger headliners.
Organisers know this. They are banking on these players generating the necessary interest in the first year to draw in crowds (assisted, of course, by promotional budgets large enough to have their own moons). Whisper it, but the quality of cricket will be extremely high, too. And yes, it is still cricket.
The kits and identities might be garish to some, but to others they will be eminently recognisable - day-glow chic, following the trend of the recent retro renaissance.
Association with junk food, as each of the eight franchises will have thanks to the sponsorship agreement with KP Snacks, may not be ideal but it makes sense when it comes to identifying with the intended target audience. Young people eat crisps, don’t they? Why do you think Specsavers bought into the Test series?
It’s hardly uncommon in cricket, either. The Big Bash stuff their children’s heads into upturned chicken buckets; the IPL introduced a break in play specifically to advertise tyres; the England captain routinely posts about mattresses and hotel rooms on social media.
It is not a problem unique to the ECB’s new competition, and it would be unfair to present it as such.
The ECB still have questions to answer over the structure of the domestic game
To moan at every new morsel of information about The Hundred is to become the village idiot, bouncing around a field threatening to eat the sky. People end up leaping over stiles to avoid those folk, you know.
At The Cricketer, we understand we have a duty to represent the views of our readership - a massive majority of whom oppose The Hundred quite vehemently - but at such a critical time for the game we must avoid becoming an echo chamber. We must avoid shouting at each other until we have sucked the oxygen from the room, while those with the power to instigate real change merrily go about their day outside.
Instead, we must generate reasoned debate. When we do, we can fairly expect to be heard - and most importantly acknowledged - by the ECB.
We can expect to be assured that The Hundred is not the first step on the road to the streamlining of the county structure.
Football has had its own similar matter over the past five years, with the introduction of Premier League under-23 teams into the Football League Trophy. The concerns of supporters - that it is the first step towards the permanent integration of B teams in a very proud, historic domestic pyramid - have never been addressed, and attendances have suffered as a result.
We can expect to be told, in much more detail, about the 100,000 people whose opinions made up the bulk of the research which eventually brought this new competition to life.
The ECB employed sports marketing agency Two Circles to look into the make-up of cricket support in England and Wales, and their data has been at the epicentre of the discussions since, yet for whatever reason there has been little inclination to offer more than a basic precis.
Can county cricket survive once The Hundred becomes a staple of the schedule?
We can expect to hear how the county season will survive and thrive alongside a fourth format, how the existing 18 teams will manage without elite competition for four weeks in high summer, how the Blast will not be commercially undercut nor county membership devalued, and why we should not be concerned by the suggestions by people in positions of influence that 18 would be much more manageable as 12.
We can expect to learn more about the pathway which will turn interest in The Hundred into sustained and impactful participation.
A vague description exists in the ECB’s “Inspiring Generations” mission statement, which states that “a new participation product, linked to (The Hundred)” will be created.
“More people will be given the opportunity to play cricket through a new participation product that will provide a gateway to becoming a regular cricketer,” the document says. What does that mean?
These are important questions which relate to the sport’s future, and which have yet to be satisfactorily answered. But for as long as we wag our fingers and shake our heads at every announcement, however benign, those who should be answering these questions will feel justified in looking the other way.
We cannot give them that opportunity.
Pick your battles, pick your arguments and pick the subjects that really matter.
If then still clarity is not forthcoming, there will be good reason for fury. Until then, we’ll just be the fools mouthing off over a pint.
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Posted by Mike on 09/10/2019 at 09:49
Hi, I posted a comment yesterday, but it hasn't appeared yet. Is it just a time lag?
Posted by Marc Evans on 08/10/2019 at 19:59
Whatever the state of play before the tournament starts, it will be the response of the public during the competition that decides success or failure and this has nothing to do with marketing but everything to do with exciting cricket. If what happens on the field does not engage the fan, all the peripheral nonsense will not save it. Hence the recruitment of so much international talent, to me the only significant plus so far.
Posted by Ian Daykin on 08/10/2019 at 19:06
I will probably go to a few of next years 100 competition.but my view is it is not a local competition and more importantly will it damage some of the existing competitions. I hope not.
Posted by Bob Smedley on 08/10/2019 at 14:12
I became totally "hooked" on cricket at round about the age of six and played a decent standard of league cricket until well into my 50's. Like Tom below I attend County Championship matches (Durham in my case) as well as Test Matches and ODI's. I am an avid viewer of the game on Sky and even took out a subscription with another broadcaster so that I could watch the 2017/18 Ashes series in Australia. It was not only the game itself that first attracted me; it was the overall culture and ethos of a pursuit that, in many ways, provided those involved with a code of conduct for life. With Graves, Harrison, their spin doctors and marketing gurus, I see only the faces of corporate commercialism rather than a genuine love for the game, its soul and heritage. As appears to be the way these days, however, it matters not what people like me and most of your contributors think or how we vote; the ECB are going to do what they want regardless. Sam's article is, however, well balanced and there is clearly scope for alternative viewpoints to those held by folk like me. My response to this is simple: Whilst cricket is akin to my sporting "religion" I do follow a number of other sports. Conversely there are those for which I have not the remotest interest; I neither watch them nor follow them in any way. I have, therefore, sadly become reconciled to the fact that The 100 is simply just another on my "Don't watch - not interested" list. Finally, I must agree to differ with Sam on one point, however. I do not regard The 100 as cricket and have renamed it "Basket" (i.e. part baseball, part cricket) I suspect that The 100 may ultimately suffer the fate of most "Basket cases!!!" The sooner the better in my view.
Posted by Paddy Briggs on 08/10/2019 at 13:15
The idea of an English version of the IPL or the Big Bash was always one I supported. But unlike India or Australia England and Wales have a well supported domestic T20 competition with a Finals Day that rivals any cricket event in the world. So it you want an international T20 tournament it made sense to build on what we have already. A two tier tournament with the eight top T20 county teams bringing in the international stars and the bottom ten doing the Blast as now. Of course there would be issues in respect of venues and the counties resident at the international grounds are not the top eight T20 counties. That problem would have been resolvable. But the ECB didn’t try. Instead they have created eight phoney teams with no support and no logic to them. They have invented a format which nobody else plays, and nobody needs. They have succeeded in vulgarising T20 - in itself quite an achievement. Along the way they have antagonised cricket lovers, spent serious money and become a laughing stock. Oh and treated us all like fools.
Posted by Mike on 08/10/2019 at 13:02
This is a strange article. The main argument is that we cannot expect the ECB to explain its thinking, its plans, and its market research until and unless we stop complaining. It argues that if only we stopped moaning, then we could expect the ECB to answer all our fears and complaints. A key sentence: "Instead, we must generate reasoned debate. When we do, we can fairly expect to be heard - and most importantly acknowledged - by the ECB." The article then goes on to list the areas where we should expect answers from The ECB. It then states: "These are important questions which relate to the sport’s future, and which have yet to be satisfactorily answered. But for as long as we wag our fingers and shake our heads at every announcement, however benign, those who should be answering these questions will feel justified in looking the other way." In summary, it argues that the ECB is justified in not answering our concerns, because we have been voicing those concerns! Strange logic. I wonder if the writer is secretly on our side, but has twisted his argument so as not to offend the ECB unduly?
Posted by Harry Haydon on 08/10/2019 at 12:56
I can see no point in this abortion of a tournament and loathe it’s impact on domestic cricket. That the final round of County Championship games in 2020 apparently don’t begin until 27th September is testimony to the ECB’s reckless abandonment of red ball cricket. It would help if Messrs Graves and Harrison got out of their bunkers and actually got on air to answer a multitude of heartfelt concerns held by cricket fans across the UK, including how ostracising vast swatches of supporters Somerset, Durham, Kent, etc. etc. can be anything but negative. Instead, their heads are buried so far in their own propaganda, that the only communication they are having is with their own backsides.
Posted by Les Bone on 07/10/2019 at 10:03
Excellent article and absolutely correct to say that nothing coherent has been forthcoming from the ECB. There is little doubt that there is a serious split,probably irreversible,within cricket followers. The ECB is staking the future of cricket in this country with a format that is played nowhere else in the world. And at what a cost,with setting up The Hundred has led to the cash reserves of the ECB plummeting from £75M to£8M in two years. With profligacy to such an extent is the ECB competent in running the game with its best interests at heart. Every county is being seduced with money over the next 5 years but have the counties not involved in staging games seriously thought through the possible consequences of their actions. It looks as if there is a hidden agenda to extend the franchise format in the game. The game is being dismantled. Mergers of existing counties are probably inevitable. The County Championship is being further marginalised. The 50 over game will become irrelevant which is extremely odd with England just having won the World Cup after 5 years of meticulous planning to achieve this goal. The Vitality Blast T20 in 2019 has proved an outstanding success and will now play second fiddle in the shortest format. Finally spare a thought for a supporter of Somerset at Taunton or Gloucestershire at Bristol and whether you aare prepared to travel to Cardiff to watch a shorter game having in mind the additional time and cost involved. Some of the players who have expressed in interst in being involved with The Hundred are at the end of their careers. And no Indian stars. We are told that the game in this country is in good hands. We must all hope that this proves to be the case. Only time will tell.
Posted by Fred Boycott on 07/10/2019 at 09:44
You cannot defend the indefensible. This abomination is not worthy of even being given a chance.
Posted by Doug on 05/10/2019 at 17:15
However you look at it it's a bastardisation of a great game, by the worst inept governing body in sport. Jesus they even get a sponsor who promotes obesity. It's a disgrace and I can find nothing in favour of it. But I'll be their to flush in down the loo.
Posted by Doug Minde on 05/10/2019 at 12:10
Good piece but you don't address the fundamental problems. This is an abomination of the game in its worst case, it further marginalised the county game to the bookends of the season (Giles said the priority now was red ball cricket he's well)
Posted by Steve Hickmott on 04/10/2019 at 22:10
I'm really for The Hundred, I really want it to work, I really want it to get interest in cricket back up to levels it should be, I really want it to be on terrestrial TV. BUT I'm just really disappointed with the launch or more specifically the wasted opportunity to win over some of the critics from counties that don't have a host venue. The Oval based team is supposed to be a Surrey/Kent partnership but the name has no connection, the shirt colours is basically the same as the latest Surrey T20 kit and both 'local icons' along with the England red ball player are all Surrey players. There's no Kent reference in the name or the logo (who wants to be a batsman with a raised finger on your shirt, might as well been a duck!) How can any Kent fan relate to anything with that franchise? The Hundred is deeply unpopular in Kent but this was a chance to get a Kent icon like Denly or Billings up there in the spotlight to win the sceptics over. It's a disaster. But of course current supporters of counties isn't what The Hundred is for, is it. Just feels like half the Oval franchise potential supporter base has been ignored including the mum's and children it's aimed at. So I want to be part of Hundred but after the launch I feel my support is homeless and worthless. In fact the logo should have the middle finger raised in the eastern direction from the Oval. Kent was never going to be a host venue, fair enough, but at least let the poor relations in to the party and give all cricket fans a chance to relate to one of the teams. Oh and sponsored by KP - didn't he play for Surrey for 7 years? It's all very well saying don't mouth off about it but what could and should be a saviour isn't exactly going about in the right way.
Posted by Tom on 04/10/2019 at 16:03
I am not quite sure that there is any scope for reasoned debate. The debate has ended and the only equation is whether people are prepared financially to support the new product. From a personal perspective, I am a member of two counties, pay to watch test, championship, 50 over and 20/20, pay for Sky and cricket merchandise and have played cricket at club level. But I am not going to pay to watch the 100 live or on TV and I shan't buy any merchandise. That doesn't leave me a frothing idiot in the corner of the pub. It leaves me unengaged with this product, for better or worse. If it's a success, great. But it is a gamble on replacing the lifelong fan with an entirely new fan - and possibly converting a few of the old ones along the way. But for me - a lifelong investor of time and money into cricket - I doubt I will be converted. And I very much doubt the new fans will appear to play at my local club - but if they do, so much the better.
Posted by Robert Gilbert on 04/10/2019 at 15:12
I am a long standing County Member whose natural bias is to red ball cricket, but I think this is an excellent article. I shall happily take my Grandchildren to the100 (as I do to The Blast).
Posted by Groucho on 04/10/2019 at 13:44
What an excellent article - thankyou for bringing some balance. It's such a shame that the ECB refuse to engage with the public, it's been a PR disaster for them. I was at my local county earlier today, they don't seem to have any idea what 2020 will bring & they have been excluded from the "franchise" system. It's also a shame that the ECB didnt just go to Sky & renegotiate the Blast tv contract - 1 game per week would have done the job. Instead they had to invent a unnecessary new format & alienate the cricketing fanbase. Thankyou
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