England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Thompson has admitted that the advent of the Hundred has made their calendar chaotic, also having an impact on international cricket, but considering the benefits that it has brought, it’s worth it.
The county championship, the One-Day Cup and the T20I Blast used to make up the English domestic calendar, but now the Hundred, which kicked off in 2021, has been added to these tournaments, making it a hectic experience for all parties concerned. The English cricket team also hosts international matches during this period. In June, they hosted New Zealand over three Tests and currently they are hosting Pakistan in a three-Test series. The first Test of the rubber started just two days after the Hundred final was played. The English domestic summer usually starts in April and runs till September.
But Thompson is not complaining. Last year, the Hundred stakes were sold for more than 500 million pounds, which has gone on to help domestic teams clear their debts as well as boost infrastructure.
“Sacrifices have got to be made,” he told Sky Sports. “If we can take all of the debt out of the game, which we have, make a generation [of counties] which can reinvent themselves, that is a price worth paying,” Thompson added.
“We were criticised that The Hundred finished, and two days later we were playing a Test match at Headingley. Imagine if that becomes one day – that can’t happen.
“We are having to crowbar so much cricket in. There are only four countries in the world that have managed to create a window that can pretty much guarantee the financial success of their game — us, South Africa, India, Australia,” Thompson further added.
Thompson also provided his take on the Brydon Carse incident that happened recently, ahead of the second Test at Lord’s. Carse was pictured handcuffed outside a nightclub in Derby with former England captain Ben Stokes in the vicinity. In June, Stokes himself was embroiled in a nightclub controversy that eventually led to his retirement from international cricket.
“When you play for your country, you are judged by far higher standards. What comes with wearing those three lions comes with respect, responsibility and pride. Unless you live and breathe those qualities, there is a problem. Every player has to understand the responsibility that comes with playing for England,” Thompson said.
