It’s the morning of August 4th. Atkinson’s off stump is cartwheeling, Siraj is conducting a sprint lap of honour, and a packed Oval crowd has just witnessed one of the most dramatic periods of Test cricket imaginable—all in the span of an hour. Here’s a thought; if only there were a shorter format game that could deliver this kind of drama more often… Cue The Hundred.
You don’t need to search far to see the criticism aimed at The Hundred, England’s newest white-ball competition, since its 2021 debut. Equally easy to spot are the massive overseas investments it has attracted, along with higher ticket sales and fan interest compared with its T20 Blast counterpart.
Is the hundred a success for English Cricket – bringing in investment, interest and securing the game in this country for the future? Or is it a cash grab that takes detracts from the county game and fans?
The Hundred reasons for The Hundred…
The Hundred was conceived to be a franchise led T20 competition, that would drive interest in the domestic game among younger generations. However, defying most of human history, the men in power decided shorter was better; and so was born the 100 ball format. Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket at the time, argued that a shorter format with simplified five-ball ‘sets’ would be easier for newcomers to grasp, remarking, perhaps a little haphazardly, that…
“[The Hundred would] Appeal to a more casual audience, in particular… mums and kids in the summer holidays”
If we take this first reason for The Hundred’s creation—a genuine desire to grow the game—at face value, then the second, elephant-sized reason was, of course, money.
The counties voted The Hundred into existence, and their financial struggles made the decision an obvious one. According to the Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report 2025, in The Hundred’s debut year of 2021, not a single county cricket club reported positive net funds. Worryingly, seven counties carried debts exceeding £10 million. The average debt across all 18 county clubs stood at £17.92 million, with Hampshire facing the heaviest burden at £69.54 million. Alarmingly, the debts were rising year on year for each county too, with the average debt in 2014 being a lower, yet still concerning £14.56 million. It was clear to the ECB that the county clubs, and the competitions they competed in, were not self sustaining; so came the choice – a T20 tweak or The Hundred revolution? The rest as they say, is history.
Following the drive to grow revenues, the ECB embarked on extensive market research. This focused not so much on cricket itself, but rather on branding and audience appeal. Revenue was at the heart of this venture, yet it’s clear that increased funding can enhance cricketing quality, in turn boosting interest. With more money and fewer teams, The Hundred was able to lure the world’s finest players to an English domestic competition. While the Blast struggled to attract stars on par with the IPL and BBL, The Hundred succeeded in its first season. Now, four years on and in the midst of another annual tournament, how has The Hundred truly fared?
Show Me The Money
On a monetary level, the success of The Hundred is hard to ignore. This year, the tournament’s finances have surged, driven by the arrival of eight new strategic partners, each investing in one of the competition’s teams.
Eye-watering sums have poured in from a diverse mix of investors — including global tech giants, hedge fund managers, and even owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. These high-profile backers have each acquired a 49% stake in their respective teams, while the remaining 51% ownership stays with the local counties where the teams are based.
This wave of investment marks a significant milestone for The Hundred, signalling growing commercial appeal, international interest, and the potential for even greater growth in the seasons ahead.
The eight deals that have been made to acquire stakes in The Hundred’s franchises have bought in £975 million. The ECB have pledged £500 million of this to be reinvested into County Cricket. Richard Thompson, ECB Chair, said that the counties would receive approximately £28 million each from this £500 million. Meanwhile, the ECB pledged a further £50 million directly into grassroots cricket.
This chart shows directly how the money could genuinely transform the finances of the cricketing counties, particularly the 10 whom reported losses in their 2023 accounts.
Therefore from a primarily financial perspective, The Hundred is a success. It has truly provided vital finances to safeguard the counties us traditionalists love.
The Hundred – Your Mum and Kids will love it! Hey Straussy?
Now… The ECB’s official party line when it comes to The Hundred is clear; it exists to get new people into cricket. Traditionalists, myself included, may argue that the test series we have just seen should be enough to get anyone into cricket. Furthermore, changing the summer test schedule, to accommodate The Hundred within school holidays, is equally frustrating. The English test summer finishing in the second week of August still feels bizarre.
However, the world is changing, with the rise of technology attention spans are shortening and the prices to go to a day of test match cricket are simply staggering. The best way to attract a new generation to cricket isn’t to sit them in front of a TV and tell them to watch — it’s to help them form a real connection with players and teams. The Hundred offers exactly that, shorter matches, lower prices, and a family-friendly atmosphere.
As already mentioned, the money generated by The Hundred has helped attract some of the finest white-ball talent in the world. In the men’s game, Birmingham Phoenix are effectively fielding New Zealand’s frontline pace attack in Adam Milne, Tim Southee, and Trent Boult. Southern Brave boast arguably the best white-ball spinner on the planet, Rashid Khan. Even everyones favourite pantomime villains, Steve Smith and David Warner, feature this year. The best way to get young people into cricket is to let them watch world-class players live, and The Hundred certainly delivers that, albeit in a peculiar format.
Whilst test cricket is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the game, one could argue that, in this country at least, it is not under threat. After all, we have just seen 25 days of sold out grounds and huge intrigue. Meanwhile, T20 Blast and County Championship games drew half-empty crowds. If Test cricket is the full movie, then The Hundred might be the perfect trailer — drawing in younger audiences and enticing them to explore the sport in full.
Countless individuals within the cricketing world have remarked that the atmosphere at The Hundred games does feel unique compared to other formats, far more family orientated. But the ace up The Hundred’s sleeve? The shortened format allows women’s and mens games to be played on the same day. This has helped to provide an exposure to the women’s game that has been nothing short of extraordinary.
All of this is backed up by the attendances, which have been impressive, from sheer numbers and the attraction of new fans, from new demographics.
Since its launch, The Hundred has maintained strong attendances, with numbers increasing to 540,000 spectators in 2024. But, importantly, it has created an inclusive product that attracts fans of all ages and genders — with a notable rise in women attending matches. This growth is likely to continue, with The Hundred providing a strong platform to showcase women’s games and secure finances for future investment. With this foundation, the product should keep improving at the same breakneck pace seen in recent years. Women’s cricket has come a long way since 2013, when there were no professional women’s teams or players. Now in 2025, the top paid women competing in The Hundred will earn £65,000 for their participation. So The Hundred, by providing investment and showcasing games has been hugely beneficial for the women’s game.
Lets shout at some clouds
On the face of it, all seems good, one may argue we should walk hand in hand with the ECB into the sunset. Maybe admit they did a good thing, move on with our lives. But that’s not very British of us! So why exactly does The Hundred grind so many gears. The standard of player attracted is better, the crowds are higher, the coverage is good, yet something is missing. I personally believe that it is an issue of branding and tradition. Essentially, 5 years ago, the ECB created 8 teams out of nowhere, gave them obscure and lets face it rather cringey names and said ‘route for these guys now!’
County cricket is a tradition that started in the 18th century, with inter-county games played as early as 1710. Cricket fans will have been routing for their county their entire lives, building up a real connection to their teams. However, the nature of franchise cricket makes this a tough concept. Take the Northern Superchargers, for example, based in Leeds—are fans from Durham or Derbyshire now expected to travel there to watch cricket? Similarly, Gloucestershire and the wider South West are completely unrepresented in The Hundred. Expansion of The Hundred seems almost inevitable, and arguably, it should happen sooner rather than later. But, the tradition and regional identity of county cricket cannot simply be replicated by the creation of a couple of arbitrary new teams.
Similarly, another problem The Hundred has in building fan connections is the difficulties surrounding player retention. Under The Hundred’s wage structure, players who perform well can move into higher pay brackets. However, if their team already has the maximum number of players allowed in that bracket, the player must either move to another team or accept a reduced wage to stay. Resultantly, up and coming young players who may play well for your team, may well be off the following year.
Whilst teams have made efforts to retain players, it hasn’t always been possible. Jamie Smith made his way in the Hundred with the Birmingham Phoenix, now moving to the London Spirit. Whilst Lewis Gregory, who in all previous iterations captained the Trent Rockets, now plays for Manchester Originals. This level of team swapping makes the competition feel like one for mercenaries. The Hundred needs to keep players at teams for longer, allowing player to fan connections can form. These efforts would help transform The Hundred from ‘a nice day out’ to ‘a nice day out we actually care about’.
Of course the other gripe with The Hundred is it’s effect on the cricketing calendar. The desire to shoehorn The Hundred into the school holiday has performed a samurai style chop on the T20 blast. The Blast’s group stages this year were held in June and July, with finals day in September. Additionally, the test summer has been moved, with only 4 days of test cricket being played in August.
These are valid criticisms and ones that the ECB are addressing. On the 11th August (2025) the ECB announced that they would be shortening the blast by 2 games per team to 12 matches per side. Crucially, this will allow the quarter finals and finals day to be finished in the same block. This is a major win for the counties and The Blast’s fans and players, whilst also being another criticism of The Hundred addressed.
Unfortunately, with the level of investment now in The Hundred, the ECB is unlikely to move it out of August and the summer holidays to make room for Tests. Some chatter online blames The Hundred for England’s injury woes in the recent Test series. Yet the last uninterrupted home series before The Hundred was the 2019 Ashes. This series ran from August to September… over 46 days. The 2025 England-India series? Also 46 days. So whilst the Hundred has moved tests out of August, it has not effected either the quality, or the viewership. Both the 2023 Ashes and this year’s Anderson-Tendulkar trophy were excellent series, played in front of sell out crowds. These will be remembered for years to come, and both ran in the same years as The Hundred.
Down to the Death Bowling
When it comes down to it, The Hundred’s successes are hard to ignore. It has injected much-needed money into the counties, attracted a new generation of fans, and created family-friendly atmospheres unlike any other format. The competition has also drawn world-class talent, including centrally contracted players, in a way no other domestic white-ball tournament has. Perhaps best of all, its compact format showcases both the men’s and women’s games, giving the women’s game unprecedented exposure.
The new investment will inevitably bring changes to the competition. I hope the world class companies who are investing focus on branding to help secure an emotional connection with fans. But for a controversial format that began just 4 years ago, I for one am willing to chuck the ball to the Hundred to run back in for another over… or was it a set?
Andy Pugh ✌🏻
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