Reports | The Hundred on verge of postponement
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âThe Hundredâ, a first-of-its-kind competition devised by the ECB that was set to commence in July, is set to be on the brink of getting postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak that has rocked the world. The ECB have also scrapped the next two windows for ticket sales for the competition.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are set to be counting the days before temporarily bidding goodbye to their dream as the inaugural edition of âThe Hundredâ is all set to be delayed by a year due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation in England and across the world. An innovative franchise competition that was set to feature some of the biggest stars in the world including the likes of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith and Kagiso Rabada, The Hundred was supposed to be a fancy 100-ball tournament that was said to be looked at as ECBâs first step towards revolutionizing the game of cricket.
However, the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom (UK) and travel bans across the world have meant that the ECB are now on the verge of officially postponing the tournament to 2021.Â
âThe ECB heads had internally discussed postponing The Hundred by a month very recently, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. At that time, it seemed like a realistic approach. What seems more realistic right now is posting The Hundred to 2021. The current situation leaves ECB with no better choice,â sources close to the ECB told TOI.
âIdeally, the postponement of the 2020 Olympics shouldâve held the ECB in good stead. But that is not the case anymore. Travel bans are likely to stay in place for all of the English summer. A thorough postponement is the only choice.â
Meanwhile, the ECB have also scrapped the next two ticket-sales windows for the competition, that was originally scheduled for April 2 and April 8. Sanjay Patel, managing director of the competition, admitted that it would be unethical for the organizers to open ticket sales in the midst of a crisis and apologized to the fans for the unprecedented situation that has left everyone disappointed.
âIn the midst of an epidemic which is affecting the nation in unprecedented ways, it would be wholly inappropriate for us to promote and sell tickets to The Hundred. We appreciate this may cause some disappointment to fans that were keen to purchase tickets in the April sales window, accessing early bird prices and securing tickets to the most in-demand games,â Sanjay Patel concluded.Â
