"Fresh, new, colourful and simple" - Nasser Hussain believes The Hundred was a success
Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels The Hundred was a success given the viewership it garnered in the country. Hussain also underlined that, unlike the Big Bash League, The Hundred shouldn't be tinkered with as it will impact the tournament negatively.
The Hundred marked its much-anticipated debut in 2021, with eight men's and women's teams participating. The Oval Invincibles won the women's title while Southern Brave clinched the men's crown. The second season is set to begin on August 3 this year.
When you find out #TheHundred has announced 2022 fixtures 😎 https://t.co/Tdbc7xCuBP
Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Hussain said The Hundred was like a fresh of breath air. After observing the electrifying atmosphere at the stadium with his family, the 53-year-old wrote:
"As a single entity, The Hundred was definitely a success. If anyone was watching on their TV sets or in the ground, it was a wonderful tournament. Fresh, new, colourful and simple. My family and I were at the first game in the women's competition between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals and you knew immediately the tournament was going to be successful. The atmosphere was outstanding."
The advent of The Hundred led to the ECB facing a backlash that they had prompted the downfall of Test cricket. Experts felt that Test players should have played red-ball cricket more leading up to the series against India last summer.
"I now don't want a lot changed" - Nasser Hussain
The cricketer-turned-commentator spoke about the Big Bash League introducing complicated rules and wants The Hundred to remain as it is to avoid losing popularity. In this regard, he wrote:
"I now don't want a lot changed - I don't think you need to tinker. You only have to look at what's happened in the Big Bash where it has been made far too long and it has lost its impact."
Instead, Hussain hopes to see more big names like David Warner, Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan in the tournament. He explained:
"The way to improve the tournament is with players. Hopefully, COVID dies down and restrictions are lifted further so you can get Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard. I would also love to see a couple more Pakistan players come over."
He added:
"I think their white-ball cricket has gone through the roof so people like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, get them over as the interest among the British Asian community is growing."
Oval Invincibles, the inaugural women's champions of #TheHundred! 🏆 https://t.co/XRAX3KC4uL
The men's edition of the tournament kicks off with the Southern Brave against Welsh Fire on August 3.