The issue isn’t with Surrey, Warwickshire, M’Sex, Nottingshire, if the Blast could be 8 teams at our larger Test grounds, those 8 teams could bid for the best players in the world, you’d have a competition that would probably eclipse the IPL.
As it is, we have 18 counties with many low interest Blast games. It’s great for existing cricket fans and counties, but it’s not conducive to really pulling in those new fans. A quick 8 team competition can do that.
It’s only the Hundred because contractually it can’t compete with The Blast.
Hkfc and I were just chuckling at the sponsorship - Skips and Pom Bears.
But actually, it illustrates the target market and it is a damn sight better than the constant stream of betting companies on shirts.
There is a lot of bluster but that is simply not true. Nobody has said the Hundred has made these players FFS.And the commentators keep pretending the hundred has made these players. It is absolutely nuts. These players are all good players. Why? Because counties made them good. The constant ignoring of how players end up in these matches is doing my nut.
Ebony Rainsford-Brent on the hundred, "I'm a massive music fan", yeah right, thats why you were talking to Nasser about the half time entertainment , and said James Budd is on.
Or did she mean Jake Blunt
I was skeptical at first but it’s alright. Good crowds, good atmosphere and good knockabout fun - just without the hook of properly supporting any team. No-one is forced to watch it so the curmudgeonly can continue to self-isolate at the 4 day games………
Unfortunately there won't be any 4 day games if this shite takes over, And by extension no Test Cricket either. Well done ECB.
Exactly what was being said when T20 started………
Problem is kids don’t get interested by watching test cricket……..far more chance they’ll do so watching jazzed-up short games sponsored by their favourite corn snack
Nonsense, I got into Cricket back in the 1970's by watching Tests, since I live in Cheshire I couldn't watch First Class Games live until I got my driving licence and head up to OT .
Yes I watched 1 day stuff Gillette Cup etc. but it was always the long format which thrilled me (even when we were getting stuffed by the Convicts and Windies).
I predict that for those who find 100 balls per Innings is too much for their attention span the '50' will be announced shortly...
Still no argument presented for why hundred needed over a blast with proper marketing. As far as I can tell it is the same crowd. Blokes out for a piss up and families. It is just like the blast matches I enjoy.
It seems very odd with people pretending that all people against the hundred don’t like short form cricket. Whoever said that? None of the points I have mentioned in this thread about player development have ever been answered. People just resort to name calling and creating strawmen.
I guess most people on here respond without reading the links I posted. Just getting angry about arguments presented rather than discussing the content. Oh well. I tried to enter a proper discussion. I think I shall give up.
Re the person saying full house at Somerset doesn’t feel big. Really? It is an amazing atmosphere and the players love it. Sky used to as well until they got a new toy. Now we end up with commentators saying “players won’t have played in front of crowds like this before” when kp is commenting in a half empty edgbaston last night.
My guess. This will get a following because it is cricket and cricket is brilliant. I just don’t understand why we need to pretend 20 five ball overs is that different to 20 six ball overs. Yes they have made the scoring more complicated on the screen but other than that no one really caring about the scores and smaller crowds not much is different to blast. They should have marketed that property and done the same with the women’s t20.
Hope you enjoyed doing your hoeing in the garden...
I enjoyed watching David Malan's superb knock