NICK FRIEND: The decision to hold back until late March comes amid a busy schedule, with England's men midway through an ODI tour of Bangladesh and the Pakistan Super League in full swing at the time of the original date
The draft for this year's Hundred has been pushed back by three weeks to give it space away from a packed calendar in early March.
It was due to take place on March 2 but will instead now be held on March 23.
The men's competition has had a draft of sorts ahead of every edition of the tournament, but this year will see the inaugural instalment in the women's competition alongside it. Both are partial drafts, with teams able to secure retentions up to February 16.
The decision to hold back until late March comes amid a busy schedule, with England's men midway through an ODI tour of Bangladesh and the Pakistan Super League in full swing at the time of the original date, while England Women would only just have finished their T20 World Cup campaign.
The ECB are believed to be keen to avoid clashes between the event and swathes of live cricket.
The Cricketer has previously reported that the draft is likely to be televised this year for the first time since 2019.
The Hundred draft was last broadcast in 2019 (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Sky broadcast the inaugural draft in October 2019, but the following year's tournament never took place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in 2021 and 2022 the teams selected their players in a private session, with the squads subsequently drip-fed to the public by social media.
But a live show would have considerable more clout, and bring The Hundred back in line with established short-format tournaments around the world, including the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League and Caribbean Premier League, which have all had their auctions and drafts screened live.
It is likely any Hundred draft broadcast would be a little less glamourous than the 2019 equivalent, which featured a shiny set and many of the top cricketers in the country on hand to give interviews following their selection.
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