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The Hundred, an innovative cricket tournament organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to attract new audiences with its 100-ball format, completed its fourth season recently.
The Oval Invincibles won their second title by beating the Southern Brave by 17 runs in the men's final. In the women's competition, the London Spirit beat the Welsh Fire by four wickets to clinch their first title.
The tournament, however, drew in sparse crowds this season and broadcasters also saw falling numbers in viewership. This is a worrying fact for both the tournament's organisers and its participants.
In this listicle, we take a look at three reasons why the tournament's viewership numbers went down this season.
#1 Over-saturation of limited-overs cricket
One of the biggest reasons why the viewership of The Hundred declined was due to the over-saturation of limited-overs cricket to the general spectator. This will continue to haunt our game unless its custodians take some action.
The limited-overs cricket bonanza started with the Indian Premier League earlier this summer and continued with the highly entertaining ICC Men's T20 World Cup. By the time The Hundred came around, fans in the UK were exhausted.
The IPL and the T20 World Cup were not the sole culprits. The English domestic season, in which the Royal One-Day Cup was played out in full fervor, also added to the general saturation that spectators felt. Not to mention the MLC and GT20.
#2 Lack of out-and-out entertainers
Another major reason why The Hundred failed to bring in large crowds this season was the lack of out-and-out entertainers. These players, often known as crowd-pullers for their ability to deliver the goods consistently, were lacking.
England captain Ben Stokes suffered a hamstring injury while turning out for the Northern Superchargers, and this was bound to distract the crowd from the cricket on offer. This injury ruled Stokes out of the remainder of the English summer.
The crowds need to give the tournament some time to flourish, with the likes of Harry Brook taking over the mantle with his exceptional skill. One can only expect fine players to develop in the future who are well-suited for this format.
#3 Dilution of the format
Another reason we speculate behind the falling viewership numbers is the dilution of the format by which The Hundred is conducted. Spectators may have got bored by the 100-ball format although it is relatively new on the circuit.
If this is the case, the concerned authorities need to take action immediately and ensure that they come up with solutions that cater to the modern-day cricket fan and drive her back to the stadiums with renewed vigor.
