[Cricket] The Hundred Draft utter bobbins

Bold Seagull · Oct 21, 2019

blue-shifted said:
The Hundred overwhelmingly panned on this thread

But will the ECB mind?

They’re clearly aiming for an entirely different audience. Women and children yes, but also non-white British from inner cities. They want it to feel like an IPL game.

To get either audience interested the ECB are planning to persuade them it’s not going to be the boozy, (and sometimes sweary) football crowd that go to 2020s.

Step 1 of the plan, to completely alienate their core base of cricket lovers, has worked. Step 2, to get a new audience to take their place, is much more difficult.

It’s a ballsy gamble and i’m not 100% convinced it won’t work, though as has been pointed out, there will be significant collateral damage to the rest of domestic cricket.

Bascially, rather than cut up their existing TV deals for coverage of England games, The Blast etc. they've come up with a new tournament so that they can show a commitment to free-to-air cricket coverage, something they know is inextricably linked to participation. It feels like a gigantic fudge just to get cricket back on terrestrial. The Hundred being dreamed up by a marketing agency so that it does not compete with the existing T20 markets.

It does miss the point somewhat though. People want to see England, and the ECB have to give up some of their money pot and split off some England games for terrestrial coverage, whether a home test series, some ODIs.

Test cricket is played by players that should be excelling in the County Championship. Creating a new tournament that sidelines the CC even further is really not the answer.

Braggfan · Oct 21, 2019

Depending on the level of it’s success, I wonder whether the hundred might eventually be transformed into franchise T20. It was talked about a while ago but there was some resistance to the idea. I can’t see the hundred lasting more than a couple of seasons, but if the franchises are set up, and the infrastructure is in place, if the game is awful (as I expect it to be) and the players and fans don’t like it maybe they’ll try and swap it for T20, which as much it pains me to say has been successful. I would imagine a franchise T20 on domestic tv would stand much chance of success than the hundred.

blue-shifted · Oct 21, 2019

Bold Seagull said:
Bascially, rather than cut up their existing TV deals for coverage of England games, The Blast etc. they've come up with a new tournament so that they can show a commitment to free-to-air cricket coverage, something they know is inextricably linked to participation. It feels like a gigantic fudge just to get cricket back on terrestrial. The Hundred being dreamed up by a marketing agency so that it does not compete with the existing T20 markets.

It does miss the point somewhat though. People want to see England, and the ECB have to give up some of their money pot and split off some England games for terrestrial coverage, whether a home test series, some ODIs.

Test cricket is played by players that should be excelling in the County Championship. Creating a new tournament that sidelines the CC even further is really not the answer.

Don't really agree with the bit in bold. I think you're giving the ECB execs too much credit. Participation will pay back any investment 10 years+ later. I don't think they are capable of thinking that far ahead. They are mostly career execs. What they want is a short term spike in profit so they have a good interview example for their next city job. What happens after that, to them is entirely incidental.

blue-shifted · Oct 21, 2019

I’m going to credit the ECB that the roster of players is decent.

I’m sure they would have like that have got more of the very popular Indian players.

GT49er · Oct 21, 2019

Pudos said:
There is a determined air from cricket fans to see this fail. I'll watch., not fussed but i'll have a look. Lets face it county game attracts about 6 people, and only that amount if the suns out, 50 overs was decent turn out at Sussex but not for all counties and test matches, apart from the Aussies, don't sell like they used to.

The game is in serious trouble. 20/20 big this year, thanks to world cup, but next season sure it will drop, 100 or not.

The whole sport is in serious decline.

Isn't it just!

A huge problem is that it's no longer played in most schools, certainly not many state schools anyway. Partly because playing fields have been sold off (and tbf cricket does take up a lot of room - and then you've got to find other activities for those not in the 22 actually playing cricket), partly because the equipment is expensive, and partly I suspect for health and safety - cricket is played with a hard ball and sometimes hurts, so schools don't want to face claims.

Sadly, I can't see any obvious way of improving the situation. I'm pretty sure many clubs have packed up over the last 20 or 30 years for similar reasons too.

goldstone · Oct 21, 2019

carlzeiss said:
Why not support the Lady Braves playing at Hove .

No chance. Zero interest in any kind on women's cricket.

vegster · Oct 21, 2019

Iggle Piggle said:
Thin end of the wedge for Sussex

[tweet]1186024649102151682[/tweet]

How come the 11 players we usually field choke but we have 11 great individuals ? I'm baffled.

Gwylan · Oct 21, 2019

I understand that Sussex get 10% of player value - by my calculations that amounts to £56,500 (I'm not sure we get anything for Archer as he's on a central contract)

The first-team players we'll have available while the 100 is going will be: Wells, Robinson, Brown, Haines, Finch, Head (surprisingly), Thomason, Beer, Claydon and Van Zyl

Taybha · Oct 21, 2019

Nice to see Tymal man of glass Mills get another whopping pay cheque , why this bloke gets into any team is beyond me , plays once or twice then has the rest of the year off with a niggle , that's some 4 season niggle , i hope this latest cricket circus flops big time .

Mackenzie · Oct 21, 2019

GT49er said:
Isn't it just!

A huge problem is that it's no longer played in most schools, certainly not many state schools anyway. Partly because playing fields have been sold off (and tbf cricket does take up a lot of room - and then you've got to find other activities for those not in the 22 actually playing cricket), partly because the equipment is expensive, and partly I suspect for health and safety - cricket is played with a hard ball and sometimes hurts, so schools don't want to face claims.

Sadly, I can't see any obvious way of improving the situation. I'm pretty sure many clubs have packed up over the last 20 or 30 years for similar reasons too.

I can. It requires PE teachers who are interested in the sport, a willingness from local clubs to become involved with facilitating schools games and help from the ECB to shove a bit of cash the way of schools to help with equipment. It’s not impossible but it does need work and organisation.

blue-shifted · Oct 21, 2019

Mackenzie said:
I can. It requires PE teachers who are interested in the sport, a willingness from local clubs to become involved with facilitating schools games and help from the ECB to shove a bit of cash the way of schools to help with equipment. It’s not impossible but it does need work and organisation.

Totally agree with the sentiment mate, but the ECB have shown where they are interested in shoving their cash and it isn't to local school for bats and pads

GT49er · Oct 21, 2019

Mackenzie said:
I can. It requires PE teachers who are interested in the sport, a willingness from local clubs to become involved with facilitating schools games and help from the ECB to shove a bit of cash the way of schools to help with equipment. It’s not impossible but it does need work and organisation.

Nice idea - but schools will still be so terrified in these litigious times to risk injury to pupils - or passers by if it gets hit out of the ground - that they will be reluctant to commit any of their precious budget to it. I think teachers too are so stressed by targets and reviews and lord knows what these days they re less likely to commit precious hours to extra-curricular activities - on a voluntary basis too - they ain't going to be paid overtime!
Plus the ECB seems very reluctant to spend money anywhere other than its own special projects and interests.

Gwylan · Oct 21, 2019

GT49er said:
Nice idea - but schools will still be so terrified in these litigious times to risk injury to pupils - or passers by if it gets hit out of the ground

If a school has a pupil that can hit a cricket ball out of the grounds of a school, I think the ECB would cover any litigation costs, He'll be in the T20 team before we know it

GT49er · Oct 21, 2019

Gwylan said:
If a school has a pupil that can hit a cricket ball out of the grounds of a school, I think the ECB would cover any litigation costs, He'll be in the T20 team before we know it

It depends how near the wicket is to the fence! If you're trying to run three games of cricket simultaneously (as my school often did) some of the boundaries are quite close to the fence - and some boundaries overlapped, which made fielding doubly hazardous at times!
....and you might be surprised at how far a brawny 16 year old can lump a long hop!

Think this!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._J._Collins

(and he was only 13!)

Farehamseagull · Oct 22, 2019

It really is complete shit and shows total resentment of cricket fans by the ECB. I’m a huge cricket fan as are a lot of my friends and family and none of us will be giving any time to this whatsoever. And none of the women or children I know who aren’t cricket fans, have never heard of it and won’t be interested when they do.

And I haven’t seen it mentioned on here so also feel I need to add that the southern mercenaries will be playing with Pom Bears on the front of their shirts just for added tin pot measure. An event aimed at families and children with different brands of crisps and snacks emazoned all over the shirts in a country struggling with childhood obesity. You almost couldn’t make this shit up.

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[Cricket] The Hundred Draft utter bobbins

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