Matthew Parkinson walked into the Kent Cricket Club media day, expecting it to be filled with journalists from up and down the country, something that he had become accustomed to seeing at first-class counties, only to be greeted by an empty room of a couple local reporters.
This is becoming the harsh reality for many county cricket clubs in the modern game.
The introduction of the Hundred has had a major impact on English cricket. Since its introduction in 2021, the Hundred has skyrocketed in popularity with 2.5 million attendees in its inaugural 5 years.
The Hundred’s increasing popularity has led to major investment, the English Cricket Board sold stakes in the eight franchises which combined to around £500 million.
Surely the increased popularity and financial backing is positive for English cricket, right? In practice, however, the Hundred’s implementation has been met with a rather mixed response
Ex-England and Manchester Originals leg spinner, Matthew Parkinson said: “It is creating a two-tier system within English cricket, putting pressure on smaller counties.
“If you are not one of the eight counties selected to be Hundred teams, you will not see the financial benefits.”
The English Cricket Board has confirmed that money obtained from the sales of the franchises would be distributed among the professional counties and at least £50 million would go to grassroots cricket.
Professional counties will get an immediate cash injection from these stakes being sold, providing short-term financial stability.
Unfortunately, that windfall is a one-off; once the money is distributed, there are no further sales to rely on. Counties outside the Hundred’s core structure risk quickly falling behind as the ongoing revenue and investment remain concentrated within the new format.
Parkinson played in the Hundred’s opening fixture between Manchester Originals and the Oval Invincibles, “I remember the first game at The Oval. We did not know the rules, me and Jos Butler were trying to figure it out on the field, we did not even know how many balls a bowler could bowl.
“Older players and people around the club thought it was a bit of a joke, seeing it as more of a novelty.”
Many cricket purists have not warmed to the new format, Parkinson says: “People were not fans of the T20 Blast when that was first introduced, it takes time for people to warm to it, I had a lot of fun playing in it and I think if they ask people’s opinion in 5 years it will have changed a lot.”
The investment that has been put into the Hundred is essential for its development, but the effects it may have on English cricket may not be as positive.
The wages players are receiving are beyond what counties can afford; this gap in financial firepower will eventually lead to players prioritising their Hundred franchises over traditional forms of Cricket.
The highest paid men’s player after the 2026 auction was Harry Brook, who was drafted to the SunRisers Leeds where he will receive a salary of £465,000. Salaries in the Hundred are expected to continue rising, making it impossible for counties to keep up.
Cricket journalist, Rafaelle Nicholson, said: “These investors may look to extend the Hundred into July, especially with the amount of money invested. Do you know what takes place in July? The T20 Blast, if Hundred owners push for an extended schedule the T20 Blast may be losing its stars.”
The Indian Premier League has had a similar effect. Recently, England all-rounder, Jacob Bethell was criticised by Ex-England captain Alistair Cook, for choosing the IPL over his county even though game time in the IPL has been hard to come by.
Bethell had not made an appearance for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru since the 5th of March, playing only one first-class match for Warwickshire since August 2024.
Bethell is just one example of the power financial superiority holds. This may result in England’s best players refusing to play in competitions, like the T20 blast, if it means they risk injury.
Sports Journalist and author of the research article ‘The View from the Boundary’, Richard Jones, said: “Cricket is one of the few sports that people are willing to pay their sky subscription to watch.
“These sports are always competing to get a bigger percentage of the TV deals, which leads to these new inventions of the wheel, if the T20 Blast was to lose out on the biggest names, viewership would fall and ultimately kill off the competition.”
The impact that the Hundred has had has also been noticeable in women’s cricket.
Yorkshire all-rounder, Olivia Thomas, who will be playing in the ECB’s newly restructured Tier 1 next season, said: “It is a great thing for women’s cricket, it will hopefully continue to break down barriers within our game.
“Plus the exposure is very important for younger generations and I think it will be great if more girls can get into cricket from this format.”
Despite the massive strides that the women’s Hundred has made, the wider impact on women’s cricket’s growth looks bleak.
The growth of the women’s game is key to its long-term success. The Hundred focusing its viewership on a select 8 teams will benefit these teams in the short-term but could potentially limit that organic growth, leaving some teams behind.
Nicholson said: “The viewership has increased from Hundred matches, and double headers have played a big part in that.”
Double headers have allowed women to play in the test grounds such as Old Trafford and the Oval as their matches take place before the men’s matches, anyone who buys a ticket is entitled to watch both matches.
“The issue will come for the teams outside of the Hundred as I am not sure we will see the viewership and money transfer down, and with the ECB’s influence diminished, will these investors care about these issues.” Said Nicholson.
That is the concern for English cricket, and we have seen examples of this in multiple sports; whether it be in new football ownership, LIV golf and boxing.
These investors are far more concerned about getting a return on their investment rather than the betterment of the sport as a whole.
The ECB reducing its influence over the Hundred means that decisions that benefit English cricket now lie in the hands of multi-billionaire investors.
Only time will tell but if the Hundred continues to go unchecked, we could be looking at the decline of English cricket.