David Llyold, the former cricket commentator who stepped down from his post in December last year, believes that there is no place for the competition like The Hundred. Probably one of the finest voice in cricket commentary, who also has served England Cricket as an all-rounder, says the world does not need such a contest.
He feels the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is just wasting its money on The Hundred, despite having a successful T20 league, Vitality T20 Blast. Although the 100-ball competition was a great success in its first season in 2021, Llyold is of the view that it does not fit since no one plays the format in the world.
Terming the contest as an extra jigsaw puzzle, Llyold stated,
“Last year’s inaugural season was great fun and it was fantastic to see so many families having a ball in the stands. The bottom line, however, is that there is no place for it. This competition doesn’t fit. It’s an extra jigsaw puzzle piece in English cricket that we don’t need,”
“Nobody else in the world plays the format, it disrupts everything else we do, including the cherished County Championship and yet millions of pounds have been spent on it and broadcasters are falling over themselves for it because it’s short and fits both attention spans and schedules,”
The ex commentator and cricketer stated Vitality Blast is already the greatest product, that can beat all other tournaments.
“We already have the product. It’s called the T20 Blast. Its 20th season opens in two months, and we can confirm it’s stood the test of time. It’s the tournament to beat all tournaments for me,”
He closed his view opining The Hundred is not a cricket, but a celebrity competition with the celebrity coaches. It is just waste of money according to Llyold. He stressed no one is interested to watch the contest.
“Look at the Hundred. Celebrity coaches. Really? What can they do? What do they do? The ECB are throwing away money. Nobody is interested in who is in charge of the Doncaster Dipsticks,”
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