Rob Key: The Hundred could be prioritised if coronavirus disrupts domestic cricket season

The former England and Kent batsman says the ECB will be "desperate" for the new competition to go ahead even if the summer is affected by the pandemic

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The Hundred could become the main competition of the domestic summer if the coronavirus heavily disrupts the calendar, believes former England and Kent batsman Rob Key.

Growing concerns regarding the impact COVID-19 could have on the season has led to the England and Wales building a number of contingency plans in the event the campaign is blown apart.

Sporting events across the world have been postponed and cancelled due to the outbreak, which has been labelled a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

If the campaign is dramatically affected by the virus then Key expects the new 100-ball competition to be preserved, given the level of investment that has gone into forming the tournament.

"They'll be desperate for The Hundred," he told Sky Sports. "There's been so much excitement around The Hundred anyway, you just want to make sure it has a fair crack.

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"I think generally there's no point putting on sporting events if nobody's going to come and watch - you want to make sure you can provide something that's entertaining.

"Those are the decisions you're going to have to make with all sports. We'll have to wait and see how the ECB do it.

"Counties have struggled for a while, that's never been any different. They've always relied heavily on the broadcast revenue of companies like Sky and making sure the county game's not decimated.

"Every part of our lives is going to be affected in some way, but generally in the long term I think it will be all right."

^{Rob Key underpins much of Sky's domestic coverage}

Eight new teams are set to competing in the competition, which is due to get underway on July 17. A handful of high-profile overseas players are set to take part, including Steve Smith, Andre Russell and Rashid Khan.

Interest in the new innovation has been good, with ticket sales having already gone through the 100,000 barrier.

If The Hundred does end up taking priority this summer, how it affects the other three competitions and England's own schedule remains to be seen.

The men's national team are set to face West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland across various formats this summer.

There is also the T20 Blast, which remains a major cash-cow for the domestic game, and the downgraded One-Day Cup, to consider as well the increasingly sidelined County Championship which is due to begin on April 12.