The Hundred is a big zero

Throughout my playing career I believed there were two possible solutions to a problem a simple one and the other more complicatedI also believed that to the benefit of Australia England would regularly choose the complicated solution Theyrsquove done it again To overcome the perceived problem of a public not fully conversant with cricket theyrsquove concocted another form of the gamemdashThe One Hundred Thatrsquos right theyrsquove reduced by a mere 20 balls a format that was extremely popular with players and the publicSubstantial changesAt least previous changes to format options were substantialmdashfive days to 50 overs andmdashthen a further abbreviation to 20 overs If yoursquore going to introduce reductions donrsquot do it in half measures And donrsquot make changes simply for changersquos sake what cricketrsquos evolution needs is improvements To make matters worse The Hundred hasnrsquot so much made changes as itrsquos engulfed the game in gimmicksIf the requirement for a terrestrial television deal truly is a format that doesnrsquot exceed a threehour time frame then why include tactical time outsThe original plan for T20 cricket was for the overs to be completed in 80 minutes with a 10minute break between innings Thatrsquos a not unreasonable four minutes per over with a bit of leeway built in and a match finished in three hoursAlso Read Life and depth situationHowever when you allow lengthy DRS deliberations and numerous replays to decide boundariesmdashjust to mention a couple of administrative induced interruptionsmdashitrsquos difficult for the players to uphold their end of the bargainSurely a terrestrial television deal that gave the game a wider audience reach couldrsquove been arranged around the T20 formatAnd if yoursquore truly interested in further educating the public about cricket then why not utilise the video screen at the ground Showing valuable tips on the game from current players could replace the tradition whereby fathers used to educate their kids at the groundUseful tips on the game would be far more educational than constantly bombarding patrons with the inane rubbish that regularly invades the video screens ldquoEvery ball countsrdquo Now therersquos a revelation if that hasnrsquot always been the case then I wasted the bulk of my first 36 yearsIn smaller markets T10 leagues are already sprouting and The Hundred is a logical stepping stone on the way to mainstream cricket heading in that directionAt what point does cricket become less of a game and more of an entertainment When does it become more fulfilling for the patrons than the playersFor cricketers of my vintagemdashIrsquom prehelmets not prehistoricmdashthat point is probably reached at 20 overs I recall days where play was severely restricted by poor weather and the afterstumpsbeer didnrsquot feel like it was earnedI can imagine feeling the same way if Irsquod only faced two balls at the end of an innings while fielding for 20 overs I loved fielding but more so if the potential was there for a decent bat in between stints chasing leatherFrustrationImagine the frustration of Australiarsquos Michael Clarkemdasha prolific run scorer in longer formatsmdashwho played five matches in the ICCrsquos 200708 World T20 tournament for a total of four balls faced Apart from reducing the number of balls to obtain a terrestrial television deal the reasoning behind The Hundred could well be to improve the chances of cricket fulfilling the Olympic dream This is often cited as a way to spread the gamersquos popularity to a wider audienceSurely the T20 format could achieve that same outcome without yet another reductionCricket is a team game ideally played by 11 members Performance satisfaction is a big reason why youngsters fall in love with the game Administrators would do well to remember that before they rush into devising shorter forms of the gameThe more the length of an innings is reduced the greater chance that there will be players ldquojust making up the numbersrdquo Even those players crave occasional performance satisfactionAlso Read Quartets give no quarter