Inaugural season of The Hundred likely to be delayed

As the threat of coronavirus continues to loom large over the world it seems England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) new competition, The Hundred, which was scheduled to begin in the month of July, will mostly likely be cancelled. The tournament had attracted a lot of attention with many high profile names signing up to play in an exciting new format. While the ECB have yet to make an announcement on the same, it seems likely that during their meeting on Thursday (April 23), they will be forced to delay the launch by 12 months.



With the lockdown in the United Kingdom extended for another three weeks - and with most saying it will last longer - a further delay to to the start of the season (initially pushed to May 28) looks inevitable. The most optimistic views would see cricket resuming in England behind closed doors in July - but this too, is a best-case scenario.



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The Hundred, a new-format eight-team competition, was meant to bring new fans to the game, and therefore playing it behind 'closed doors' would defeat the purpose, experts have said.



Tom Harrison, ECB's chief executive, even hinted to a delay in the competition when he addressed the media last month suggested that the board would to well to first cater to the 'traditional' audience once the game resumes.



While the cancellation of the tournament will no doubt mean the ECB have to take a further financial hit, at the moment, there is little the board can do about it. This news comes after the ECB already announced a delayed start to the season and their contracted players agreed to take a paycut.