Surely by allowing three major competitions to run concurrently, the ECB must shoulder much of the blame, and in terms of naive myopia they are in effect cutting their own throats, because as other very knowledgable and savvy posters predict, once County red ball cricket collapses or shrinks, platforms to build long innings, essential for Test cricket, disappear, nothing for the purist remains.
I can’t quite agree with Nat’s view that The Hundred was “designed”to destroy professional county cricket, but in effect he is so correct that this is what will happen.
Is it not horrifically ironic, that the concept of introducing younger more widespread audiences, abetted by the hugely influential participation of the BBC, and irresponsible fixture control, has led to what must now be considered as the greatest crisis to confront cricket for many years.
We would all agree that fresh young blood is always needed to sustain any sport, and that County cricket, has been seduced by new technology forever quickening pace of life and providing more distractions to place our beloved game in the back waters of modern life.
Four day cricket now is a dinosaur.
Widening and rejuvenating audiences essentially is to be applauded.
The consequence of introducing The Hundred and combining it idirectly in competition to the Royal London Cup is obviously not what was envisaged, but was simply not thought through.
The authorities should answer many difficult questions.
Where do we go from here?
The level of knowledgeable debate on this forum is second to none.
Authorities at every level would learn a lot.
