The Hundred

[Mark H]

Loved tonight’s game at the Oval. This is cricket packaged for entertainment but the quality of Bowling from the Oval Invincibles was excellent, never seen Narine bowl before and a very unusual action that was difficult to get hold off. So good to see the Beeb get coverage of this who have a great presentation team. For those cricket snobs you just need to see the crowd and number of kids in the crowd to realise this will be a success.

 

[HaylingBee74]

Loved tonight’s game at the Oval. This is cricket packaged for entertainment but the quality of Bowling from the Oval Invincibles was excellent, never seen Narine bowl before and a very unusual action that was difficult to get hold off. So good to see the Beeb get coverage of this who have a great presentation team. For those cricket snobs you just need to see the crowd and number of kids in the crowd to realise this will be a success.

18k+ attendance there tonight, and it got me watching it on the BBC which is a rarity

 

[HaylingBee74]

On BBC2 as channel 2 I couldn’t see the runs needed & balls remaining. I tried but failed to change the picture format, but then I found I could see it on HD channel102

 

[rebus]

Can’t support it. Another nail in the county game coffin.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

I thought it was awful. Fully accept why the concept might appeal but not for me. Cricket surely can't be dumbed down any further.

 

[Banana]

I thought it was awful. Fully accept why the concept might appeal but not for me. Cricket surely can't be dumbed down any further.

It was better than the 20:20 games with a 10 yard boundary we saw last week.

 

[Jam Jar]

I think the Hundred needs to be more innovative. Perhaps have mixed sides (male / female) and nominate a super ball where you multiply the runs scored by 2.

But in honesty isn't the T20 format already doing a great job in bringing in families and kids.

 

[Holysmit]

I thought it was awful. Fully accept why the concept might appeal but not for me. Cricket surely can't be dumbed down any further.

Agree. No excitement either. If you lose a few wickets, there such little time in the game that it doesn't matter.

It's all hit and run basically.

 

[Mulitinovic]

The five/ten ball thing is a nonsense and makes watching it painful to watch for cricket fans, while simultaneously making it harder for any fans the Hundred does attract to get into other formats. The Hundred only exists as a format because the ECB failed to protect the rights in T20 in 2003 and regrets the money it could have made licensing it.

 

[Mark H]

On BBC2 as channel 2 I couldn’t see the runs needed & balls remaining. I tried but failed to change the picture format, but then I found I could see it on HD channel102

I had the same issue. A bit annoying.

 

[TW3Bee]

But in honesty isn't the T20 format already doing a great job in bringing in families and kids.

Does for me, and helps the Counties too.

 

[Billy Hunt]

I watched it and was entertained, but it’s not real cricket

 

[Leedsbee]

Love traditional cricket but not having Sky have lost touch with the game.Last couple of nights Hundred has for me been a great watch.Simplifying the stats heavy bearded wonder stuff,run rates,averages etc does make the basic one on one its batsman (batter,why not) against bowler heart of the game more accessible.I was working at Headingley when T20 came in and there was immediately big crowds.But the crowd was predominantly white men and a lot of drink was involved.The Hundred has got lucky with the weather but great to see a much more mixed crowd at the Oval,men,women,different races and most importantly enough kids to deter the boorish louts more interested in how long a beer snake they can construct.

 

[Gazza Bee]

Meh

 

[Humblebee]

Watched the second half. How many kids actually watched the cricket?

 

[badgerbee]

Watched the second half. How many kids actually watched the cricket?

Maybe not all 200 balls last night.....
Maybe it was their first ever time at cricket match......
Maybe next time they'll watch 110 balls instead of 80.....
Maybe last night was the first day in a lifetime of loving the game.....

 

[nocoat]

Maybe not all 200 balls last night.....
Maybe it was their first ever time at cricket match......
Maybe next time they'll watch 110 balls instead of 80.....
Maybe last night was the first day in a lifetime of loving the game.....

I will be honest with you - I prefer Elvis Presley’s version

 

[badgerbee]

I will be honest with you - I prefer Elvis Presley’s version

?
Cricket's always on their mind.......

 

[Doovster]

Didn't like it and bailed half way through the first innings (forgive the pun).

 

[Judio1999]

Pints galore and too many delays - the Hundred is already starting to feel like T20

“Don’t take me home” went the chant around the Oval with young men holding pint pots aloft as the opening night of the men’s Hundred reached its climax.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Pints galore and too many delays - the Hundred is already starting to feel like T20​

“Don’t take me home” went the chant around the Oval with young men holding pint pots aloft as the opening night of the men’s Hundred reached its climax.

This was not the audience the organisers pictured on their Powerpoint presentations, and there was very little to differentiate this game from a Thursday night Blast Twenty20 at the Oval.

The match was won by the Oval Invincibles by 10 runs and lacked the close finish of the first women’s game which achieved the target of reaching a family audience better too.

This felt far more like two well grooved Twenty20 sides running through their match-ups and inevitably taking too long over everything with the game finishing at 9.15pm, a quarter of an hour longer than a format devised so kids can get home to bed was supposed to last.

The officials will have to step in and start applying the overtime penalty if it goes on otherwise teams will faff around and the Hundred will follow all the other formats and take too long.

 

[PJ]

Didn't like it and bailed half way through the first innings (forgive the pun).

Me too.
Not much different at all to T20, but the three T20 games last week v Pakistan were a great watch.
The Hundred seems a miss mash of teams, guest players etc. More like exhibition cricket.

Sky hyped it to ridiculous levels. The screen was very off putting and all too "American" for me.
Don't really see the point of it. T20 in its current format is excellent imho

 

[Darren J]

Whether it's T20 or hundred, these things tend to work as well as the weather allows it. Balmy July night at the Oval with England's best involved is as good as it gets. It will never compete with IPL or Big Bash though - almost guaranteed weather, well honed format and perfect date slots make these a dream for TV. Vital they keep the game quick (unlike IPL) and the woman's equal billing status is obviously brilliant.

 

[thickobee]

Free tickets got most of the kids in. Good idea but explains why they were there. Saw first few balls of the ladies version the night before. Was appalled by the standard and turned off before the second set of five. Is that the correct terminology?

 

[Darren J]

Free tickets got most of the kids in. Good idea but explains why they were there. Saw first few balls of the ladies version the night before. Was appalled by the standard and turned off before the second set of five. Is that the correct terminology?

Was there anything particularly appalling by the standard of the first few balls you saw? Genuine question, I didn't see it.

 

[thickobee]

Was there anything particularly appalling by the standard of the first few balls you saw? Genuine question, I didn't see it.

Keeper standing too far back (ball not carrying) , misfields by keeper and out field. Deliveries down leg side and wide of off. Batter (?) failing to make contact with average delivery. And of course commentators over hyping.

 

[HaylingBee74]

Keeper standing too far back (ball not carrying) , misfields by keeper and out field. Deliveries down leg side and wide of off. Batter (?) failing to make contact with average delivery. And of course commentators over hyping.

The lacquer on the ball initially makes it swing wildly and is difficult for both the bowler and keeper. It soon wears off

 

[Darren J]

Keeper standing too far back (ball not carrying) , misfields by keeper and out field. Deliveries down leg side and wide of off. Batter (?) failing to make contact with average delivery. And of course commentators over hyping.

In fairness when Steve Harmison bowled the opening ball of the ashes straight to second slip I should have turned off there and then. We were awful.

 

[thickobee]

In fairness when Steve Harmison bowled the opening ball of the ashes straight to second slip I should have turned off there and then. We were awful.

Yep ok Dazzer. Different levels of tolerance. My overtly misogynistic, anti feminist and racial bias probably clouded my judgement but we’re all different.
Basically think it’s a poorly executed marketing exercise by the EWCB.

 

[Voice from the Braemar]

was there last night with a couple of the vftb yoooooof.......enjoyable evening and a near 20k crowd.......got a bit lively in vauxhall park around 5ish where we had our takeaway fried chicken dinner (at a very respectable price it must be said from the old chicken cottage under a new name !) with the local gang marauding around all the local older school kids in there which we watched from too close a distance......you could sense that out of this half dozen all hooded up and obviously carrying weapons that one will be dead or will have killed someone before xmas....id put money on it its really sad to see that these vultures (who initially started staring me out at the takeaway but im hey old school !!lol) just do what they want....proper vermin

anyway back to the cricket....quick pint at the beehive before and a decent game but too similar to 20/20 so i dont get the point of it really........crowd loved it though and the queue for beer was immense later on but i always smuggle my own refreshments in anyway but still had an early pint of IPA there at the ridiculous price of 6.80 but thems the prices........decent night out for cheap

 

[Nada Bee]

Awful. But its doing its job. I dont recall 28 replies on a Middlesex/county thread within 12 hours before!

For me, hate it. 20/20 even to me is a push. This is a farce.

"Its just not cricket." - Works well here.

 

[BEEm us up Scotty]

Trying to get my head around this Hundred

Steven Finn plays for Manchester? Random

 

[TW3Bee]

In fairness when Steve Harmison bowled the opening ball of the ashes straight to second slip I should have turned off there and then. We were awful.

Harmison has said in interviews that he has bowled over 13,000 balls in Test cricket, taking over 200 wickets, but all people want to talk to him about is that ball.

 

[rebus]

Harmison has said in interviews that he has bowled over 13,000 balls in Test cricket, taking over 200 wickets, but all people want to talk to him about is that ball.

What does he expect?!

 

[Jam Jar]

Harmison has said in interviews that he has bowled over 13,000 balls in Test cricket, taking over 200 wickets, but all people want to talk to him about is that ball.

When I think of Steve Harmison I think of the ball be bowled to win that epic test match at Edgbaston against Australia in 2005

 

[Humblebee]

Trying to get my head around this Hundred

Steven Finn plays for Manchester? Random

Me too. And Sowter played for their opponents.

 

[badgerbee]

Me too. And Sowter played for their opponents.

You're playing for Manchester too......??......

 

[Melman]

I thought it was awful. Fully accept why the concept might appeal but not for me. Cricket surely can't be dumbed down any further.

Problem is once you've witnessed this nothing will compare, yes a different format but WOW what a game!!!

RESULT
Final, Lord's, Jul 14 2019, ICC Cricket World Cup

New Zealand
241/8

England
(50 ov, target 242)241

 

[Les Beeavinu]

KP commentating today. Yay. ?

 

[Melman]

KP commentating today. Yay. ?

I don't mind KP, a bit arrogant but aren't most sports men at the top of their game? I still think he was treated badly by the selectors, such a shame.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

He's a terrible commentator. Real terrible.

 

[rebus]

I don't mind KP, a bit arrogant but aren't most sports men at the top of their game? I still think he was treated badly by the selectors, such a shame.

He stabbed a lot of his England team mates in the back. There’s a documentary on IPlayer at the moment on the England team from 2010-2015, which he’s not painted in the greatest light.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Enjoyed tonight's game a little more.

 

[ppobee]

When I think of Steve Harmison I think of the ball be bowled to win that epic test match at Edgbaston against Australia in 2005

I think of the slower ball yorker to Michael Clarke the night before - the last thing he was expecting.

 

[ppobee]

I've watched a couple of games now (Weds and tonight), and it really isn't any different to T20 - but if you didn't follow cricket before it is probably easier to follow what is going on. Good crowd in tonight at Edgbaston, more mixed than at the Oval. I've got tickets for a couple of Phoenix games as I will be working up there for a few days and will report back on the live experience, though not sure anyone on here will still be reading this thread by then!

 

[ppobee]

He's a terrible commentator. Real terrible.

But he did make one interesting point tonight - franchise cricket is different, and the pressures are different, to the usual county (or other first class) structures. And this is one factor why India now have so many excellent cricketers who are more ready for international cricket than they would have been 15 years ago. It's early days, but the exposure that Cullen (London) and Benjamin (Phoenix) had tonight is priceless in their development. It might be a benefit of fewer of the stars turning up than the ECB had planned

 

[IslandBee]

Really enjoying it! Breath of fresh air TBH. Loads of kids there, fantastic atmosphere, some great cricket and an emphasis on having fun. The fielding is now of an incredibly high standard!

Love test cricket but it is perfectly possible to have both.

 

[IslandBee]

Free tickets got most of the kids in. Good idea but explains why they were there. Saw first few balls of the ladies version the night before. Was appalled by the standard and turned off before the second set of five. Is that the correct terminology?

Well you should watch more then - the standard of women's cricket is very good and improving all the time.

 

[Brentford Bob]

It was ok….. although whoever is responsible for the permanent on-screen, lime green and pink graphics, needs a clip round the ear.

 

[Gazza Bee]

It was ok….. although whoever is responsible for the permanent on-screen, lime green and pink graphics, needs a clip round the ear.

Talking of which - why are the wickets underneath the number of balls not under the runs on SKY graphics? ?‍

 

[TW3Bee]

The first few games have been exciting, but I have no allegiance for any team.