Eoin Morgan shows support for The Hundred and hints it should replace the T20 Blast

Morgan, who captained England to their first ever World Cup over a week ago, believes adding a fourth format could be too strenuous, but doesn’t believe that should prevent the introduction of The Hundred

England ODI captain Eoin Morgan has thrown his weight behind The Hundred which is set to come into the domestic programme next year, and even hinted the T20 Blast should be the competition to make way.

The new 100-ball competition will make its debut next summer and will feature eight city-based franchises in a league system, which will then be followed by a knockout stage and a final, but the format has attracted controversy since the idea was launched.

Now Morgan who captained England to their first ever World Cup success just over a week ago, believes adding a fourth format could put too much strain on an already packed domestic calendar, but maintains The Hundred is not the problem.

"I think over the next few years, one of the formats will miss out – we can't play with four formats," the 32-year-old told PA at the draft of the inaugural Euro T20 Slam on Friday.

^{Morgan made his feelings known at the draft}

"The Hundred, yes, I do think we need it. Whether it's The Hundred, 10 overs or 20 overs, we need one franchise-based tournament, with fewer teams, in order to consistently sell the game to the country.

"Anybody I speak to who loves sport but doesn't necessarily love cricket is crying out for a tournament that he or she understands, because 18 teams going for a long period of time just doesn't make sense to anybody."

Asked if that mean the T20 Blast is the one that should be culled in his opinion, Morgan shrugged and said: "I'm not making the decisions but..."

Morgan was also announced as the 'icon player' for the Dublin Chiefs on Friday, the Irish capital's franchise for the Euro T20 Slam, which begins next month. 

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