Exhilarating, skilful and a brilliant advert for cricket - The Hundred does what it says on the tin

SIMON HUGHES: The skill levels were off the chart, the music wasn’t bad and the crowd was enthralled. English cricket's version of the IPL achieved everything it set out to do but there remain some teething problems

“That was one of the most thrilling fifteen minutes of cricket I have ever seen.”

“I agree. And we’ve seen a few.”

That was an exchange between Mark Nicholas and me midway through the Birmingham Phoenix pursuit of Southern Brave’s 168 in the Hundred final at Lord’s. We had just watched Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone blitz runs off the rapid pace off George Garton and Chris Jordan, and assault Jake Lintott’s crafty left-arm spin. Five sixes and five fours were struck in 22 deliveries of mayhem, the white ball flying like a howitzer into the crowd – or through to the keeper when the batsman missed with a huge drive. You could almost feel the wind off Livingstone’s swishing blade.

The partnership ended with a slice to deep cover, a brilliant stop on the half volley by one fielder, and a hurl by another, Tim David, that hit the stumps direct leaving Livingstone a foot short as he belatedly scurried back for two. It was dramatic, it was breakneck, it was supreme athleticism. The crowd were going wild.

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One fan in an orange shirt was captured breakdancing to thumping rhythms. This was Lord’s, where music and instruments and basically any real ‘fun’ were either forbidden or frowned upon until recently (and this is not a pop at the current MCC executive by the way, which is making great strides to compensate for the dragging feet of distant regimes.)

If any killjoys were still questioning the actual authenticity of the cricket, Moeen then sauntered up the pitch to Lintott’s spin and struck the most magnificent lofted on-drive into the MCC members seating in the front of the pavilion, a shot as glorious as anything David Gower ever produced. It couldn’t last, however, and Moeen perished a few balls later attempting a repeat.

The contest fizzled out – the Southern Brave's bowling and fielding was too good for some of the less experienced Phoenix batsmen – but it was, indisputably, a brilliant advert for cricket. The speed of the ball projected through the air by the bowlers – four of whom exceeded 90mph – the rapid reflexes of the batsmen, the velocity of the ball off the bat, the dynamic, almost gymnastic fielding, the Exocet throwing – the sheer power and athleticism of everyone was exhilarating. The skill levels were off the chart.

The music wasn’t bad either.

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The Hundred delivered the entertainment experience it promised

The crowd was enthralled. And that’s the point really. The event made a similar impact on me as that first IPL match in Bangalore in 2008 – which I attended (Brendon McCullum made an astonishing 158 not out.) Look what a phenomenon that day unleashed.

If 20 per cent of those watching last night’s event – or any match in the Hundred for that matter – conclude that cricket might just be a sport to get into – as player or spectator – then it has done its job. It will not destroy the ‘traditional’ game. It is a new entry point. It concentrates the talent. It will generate new revenue. It should help swell cricket’s support base. It will make the domestic game – and that means the counties – sustainable.

A few quibbles. The sound of the game is still not transmitted well enough to the crowd. The sound of the bowler running in, the expending of energy, the smack of the ball on bat, the clatter of the ball on stumps, lbw appeals - adds to the drama for the TV audience but you don’t get any of that in the stadium. Too much time is wasted with batsmen taking guard. Paint three lines on the crease marking leg, middle and off stumps. The information on the big screens is still confusing at times and incidents are not properly explained. Every ball should have a description – it would not be hard to have 100 phrases – “late swing” “inside edge” “dropped caught and bowled” ready to go at the touch of a button. I’m happy to write them.

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Ultimately, this remains a contest between bat and ball

But overall it was excellent (and yes I still love Test cricket more.) The total commitment of the players, the joy on the faces of the spectators, the general exuberance, and the satisfaction of the winning chairman – Nicholas, who has thrown his knowledge and enthusiasm into this just as much as anything in his 40-plus years in the game – said it all.

Celebrate the Hundred don’t castigate it. Just as long as, in future, the LV=Insurance County Championship is played at the same time.

Comments

Posted by Mojo Wellington on 24/08/2021 at 09:54

If the county championship is played at the same time as the Hundred, how will that help the Test team? Fringe players who might then replace someone, like Moeen Ali has this season, would still be playing white ball instead of red ball cricket. What has the Hundred delivered that a T20 competition couldn't? How did the change of laws improve the game or add to the spectacle? Why was there no option to watch on TV without the graphics taking up a large part of the screen? How will young children's enthusiasm for cricket be sustained through their teenage years and into adulthood? How did people previously enjoy cricket as a child and carry that love for the game through into adulthood before coloured clothing, music and dancers? Was it largely due to cricket being on terrestrial television? Does 'moving with the times' necessitate alienating existing fans? Could more T20 matches be played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons to encourage young families to attend? Was the Hundred crowd markedly different to a T20 match? How has the selling-off of playing fields affected the development of the game? Being very careful to avoid criticising the MCC, perhaps you could suggest to Lord's that they review their ticket pricing for Test matches so that any new cricket fans introduced to the game because of the Hundred, can afford to attend a day at the Test.

Posted by Glynn Burgess on 22/08/2021 at 14:45

Not sure if you are on the 100 payroll somewhere like most of the rest of cricket broadcasters, but did folks not previously enjoy sold out Blast games at Lord's? Surely any sane organisation would have taken a hugely successful product such as the Blast and developed it further, rather than dividing the game through starting something completely new? Good players will produce some good cricket, but a revamped Blast could have achieved the same. The eliminators were not sold out at the Oval and the final 'sell out' only had 24,500 there. Is this now the low bar for success, as it does not compare well to the Blast, especially with all the free tickets available, millions on advertising and free to air tv..Also I believe quite a large loss is forecast when the county payments are taken into account? Perhaps not as rosy as you make out after all and that is before taking into account the effects on the county game (all formats).

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