Ian Chappell feels 'The Hundred' not needed, says 'T20 enough to take cricket to Olympics'

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell believes The Hundred is unnecessary and that the T20 format is sufficient to bring cricket to the Olympics. Chappell wrote in his ESPNcricinfo column that the new hundred-ball cricket has done nothing more than cut 20 balls from the existing T20 format. According to Chappell, the format will not be fair to the 11 players on a team because not everyone will be able to contribute and gain performance satisfaction due to the reduced number of balls.

"Apart from reducing the number of balls to obtain a terrestrial television deal, the reasoning behind the Hundred could well be that it improves the chances of cricket fulfilling the Olympic dream. This is often cited as a way to spread the game's popularity to a wider audience. Surely T20 format could achieve that same outcome without yet another reduction," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. 

"Cricket is a team game ideally played by 11 members per side. 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 game. The more the length of an innings is reduced, the greater chance that there will be players just making up the numbers," Chappell added.  

The Hundred has garnered a lot of criticism ever since it was launched a couple of years ago. Just recently, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar dubbed the Hundred as "average cricket" with "basic coverage". However, several former and current cricketers have backed the new form, saying it can take cricket to the Olympics. Ex-England captain Nasser Hussain has said the Hundred can breathe new life into the domestic game. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also came out in support of the Hundred, saying people should go to theatre first before criticising a film.  

The Hundred

The Hundred is a brainchild of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which introduced the idea to the world in 2018. The first draft of The Hundred took place in 2019, where eight city-based teams were given the opportunity to pick 15 players each, including a maximum of three overseas cricketers. The Hundred was originally scheduled to be played in 2020 but due to the COVID-19 crisis the tournament had to be postponed until 2021. The Hundred was launched in England on July 21 with a women's game between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals. 

Image: AP/TheHundred/Insta