The Hundred. The saviour of English cricket or the grim reaper that kills it stone dead, depending on who you listen to. The introduction of the new tournament has torn English cricket in 2, and has proven to be one of the most divisive additions to the number 1 summer sport in thus country. So as we are 2 weeks into the new format, we have enough evidence to actually look at it and see if it is a success or not, and has it really been worth all the aggravation it has caused.
Well lets start with the positives. The Hundred to be fair to it, has managed to chalk up some wins, and it would be churlish to ignore those or cast them aside. The first relates to the Women’s game. Attendances for the women’s fixtures are up compared to previous formats, and engagement online has also gone up. The introduction of the double headers has meant greater exposure for the female players than what they would have had previously, and has generated greater spotlight on the stars on the field. For a format that is desperate to generate a new audience and new fans of cricket, this greater engagement and exposure for the women’s game should bear fruit over the next few years. In addition the atmosphere at the women’s fixtures have proven to be more relaxed and family friendly (more of that later), which again has proven to be a draw for people looking at attending. Arguably it could be said, the women’s Hundred has been worth the investment in it and has provided the springboard to help grow the game.
Attendances were perceived to be a worry, with the ECB keeping details regarding ticket sales to secrecy, as well as not revealing how many tickets have been given away as freebies. As the tournament has progressed, it would appear that crowd sizes are going up as more people engage with the tournament and buy tickets off the back of it. Henry Moeran of the BBC has tweeted that the free ticket allocation is circa 4%, which is the standard for other tournaments. Whilst this needs to be verified, if correct, it would seem that the concerns can be put to rest. Anecdotally, I know of many people buying tickets to the cricket for the first time, going once, and rebooking as they enjoyed it. For the organisers, this is exactly the type of behaviour that they would have wanted and anticipated when coming up with the concept.
Fan engagement has also been seen in the grounds and on the day itself, with many teams being boosted by a passionate home support getting behind the teams. Given these sides have no history and are brand new, again, this will be the behaviour that the ECB will hope can last as the format progresses. Merchandise sales have also been positive, with many clubs reporting that sales are up compared to usual.
TV viewing figures have also been healthy. As The Cricketer’s Sam Morshead wrote last week, in the first week of the format being live, TV viewing figures were impressive on day 1, and then has stayed above the usual figures for other comparative domestic fixtures. This is not just Free to Air television either, this is on Sky behind the paywall. Given how much cricket has been lost to the public since the move to Sky in 2006, the fact that numbers are this healthy can only be pleasing to the ECB top brass. The more that this stays the case, the more confident the ECB will feel that The Hundred has a lasting future.
The new format has also not been as convoluted as originally thought. The graphics might need tweaking, however the concept of making wickets less important, and making it a straight runs and balls relationship has made it straightforward to follow. Whilst the list of new rules made it seem that the ECB had lost the plot, in practice, they’re not as bad or as hard to follow as expected. As a result, the games themselves in both the men’s and female tournaments have been easy to watch, and have produced good games of cricket. Whilst the use of the same pitch has meant the games have not been as much of a slogfest as maybe hoped for, there has still been enough great moments of bowling, batting and fielding with close finishes seen to keep the interest and provide clips for social media – the key shop window for the organisers.
However, and this is where context is important, there is a but. For all the good that the new format has produced in the last 2 weeks, and as I say, it would be churlish to not think otherwise, there has also been plenty of negatives. And for most of the positives listed above, it is hard to escape the conclusion that these were all achievable without having to resort to creating a cricketing civil war. It should be said this is mainly for the men’s edition. As stated, the women’s equivalent is proving to be a success point, with little issues seen so far.
I mentioned it previously, but lets focus on the crowds itself. The tournament was unveiled to much fanfare, and has been created to produce a brand new audience, and attract people who do not normally take an interest in the sport and get them hooked. In addition, women and families have also been targeted as the main driver of being this new audience, and as above, there is evidence that this is working and bearing fruit. However, what has also been evident from the first 2 weeks, that the usual crowd that mostly attend the Blast and other prominent cricket fixtures in this country – males, in their 20’s, beer in hand and chanting away – have also been in attendance in large numbers. And why not, they are cricket fans after all. However it has been embarrassing for the ECB to see and hear the throngs of lads, with copious amounts of ale inside them singing away, when the whole point of the tournament was to stop this from happening.
In addition, there has been pitch invasions witnessed, and reports from Lords and other grounds of bad behaviour, beer throwing and families ducking for cover and feeling intimidated. The response from Lords was to ban fans from bringing alcohol inside the ground, unless a MCC member, as well as shut the bars early. Whilst on paper a sensible move, it then alienates those who want to attend and have a few drinks but not get legless. Let’s be frank here, this is not an under 16’s disco, it’s adult cricket. As a result this sort of step feels overly draconian and only causes to put people off attending. Whilst myself and other can easily watch cricket sober, the Hundred is an opportunity for an evening out at good value ticket prices, especially for those in their 20’s and 30’s who are new to the game. Therefore there should be a home for those who fancy an evening out with a few beers with the new competition. If those of us who fall into this bracket are no longer welcome and are grouped up with the lager louts then that’s fine, but then add us to the list of thousands who already feel alienated from the new tournament.
It is this alienation of fans that makes everyone question whether The Hundred is worth the issues caused. Thousands of existing cricket fans, and supporters of County teams have been made to feel not welcome with the introduction of the new competition. A strapline that basically says, “if you like cricket already, then this is not for you” and “if you don’t like the new format, you’re not welcome here anyway” is hardly designed to get people actively involved. The first rule when introducing a new product and format is to bring as many of your existing fanbase with you as possible. Creating circumstances where many existing cricket fans openly despise the tournament and wish it to fail is hardly healthy for the future of the sport. Certain ex England captains are only too happy to help whip up the resentment also, using language as “haters” to describe those who are not devout believers in the new game. Again, hardly conducive to a healthy relationship between different stakeholders, especially when some of the concerns raised are extremely valid.
For all the fanfare of the new teams, it is hard to see why the ECB have not at least tried linking them to the existing counties to try and generate some interest. For example, as someone who lives in Leicestershire and grew up in Northamptonshire, I am homeless in The Hundred, there is no team that I can get behind. The same for supporters of Gloucestershire or Somerset. If you are to have 8 teams, why not link them regionally as a tie up. For example bring Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire together and call the new side East Midlands Rockets for example? Why not ensure that in the draft, that at least 4/5 from each county are picked and that 2 or 3 are in the chosen 11 for each game? Whilst not perfect, my guess is that more fans of Derby and Leicester would be engaged and feel included compared to the current guise. As a result, it feels a real error to have so many fans of existing counties not having any involvement in the new format and feeling excluded.
The impact on the county game since the launch of the County Championship has also not been healthy. The One-Day cup, in a competition actually played by England is now no more than a development competition, with many county sides depleted. Whilst good to give opportunities to youngsters, it is hardly fair for the thousands of county members who have seen their sides weakened. Kevin Pietersen has argued that there are too many county teams and county players making the standard sub-par in his opinion. Given the direction of travel it is easy to imagine the ECB thinking the same. The question that has to be asked, do the ECB want a reduction in counties? If so, who? And which ones stay or go, and how is this decided? The Hundred has opened the door to this kind of thinking, putting at danger years and years of history for proud counties.
As mentioned above, for all the positives listed above, there is a counterpoint that this was all achievable under the existing strictures. The format is easier to follow? You hardly need to be a member of MENSA to enjoy the T20 Blast. Attendances are going well? The Blast has produced consistent growth in ticket sales year on year? The new format is much quicker than before? By 20 balls each innings and about 6 minutes quicker, it’s hardly that revolutionary. The introduction of a forfeit for slow overrates is brilliant! The Blast has this already and just needs enforcing more. The games are so exciting with great cricket being played! Again, watch the Blast, plenty of great cricket on offer, you just need to find it. Isn’t it great that The Hundred is on FTA TV? Why could this not have been done already? The ECB had enough leverage and bargaining power, why did it not use that to make sure a Terrestrial station took up the Blast?
As we have now at the 2 week mark of The Hundred being launched, it is hard to escape the feeling that the new format has been a lot of effort and discord, for successes that are actually quite shallow and not as impressive as on first viewing. As I write this, England have just been bowled out for 183 on the first day of the First Test against India, with numerous players having not seen a red ball in weeks or months. It has also been depressing to see usually respectable journalists and pundits actively ignoring the evidence from what’s before their eyes, and acting as if what they’re seeing has never been witnessed previously. At times, they would not look out of place as if they were Pravda journalists such as been the intense propaganda towards the new competition and has not helped the cause either.
For all the money that has been thrown at The Hundred, the net result is shallow positives, and more negatives and bad feeling created, as well as a domestic game torn in two. In terms of is it a success? Well it sort of is, but that is hardly a ringing endorsement. In terms of a return on investment, it is starting to become clear that pound for pound it is probably a failure. The Hundred, has it all been worth it? On this evidence so far, not a chance.