Its something that will be viewed with interest from various quarters but Elizabeth Ammon (Times 7th December) reports that some leading players are threatening to boycott The Hundred in 2025, in effect taking industrial action.
The reason is that the ever hapless ruling body of English and Welsh cricket the ECB is endeavouring to intervene in global franchise cricket. Understandably the ECB wants leading players to be available for the T20 blast (which they have now determined is played early season) and the Hundred in August. The problem is that players can earn a lot more elsewhere.
The ECB has to give permission for players to appear in domestic competitions elsewhere in the world. The current ECB threat is that this will be not be given for the Pakistan Super League (now in April/May) the Caribbean Premier League and US Major League cricket. It appears that players with white ball only contracts might be allowed to play in the PSL.
Whatever one thinks of franchise cricket- and with the Hundred the ECB is a major player itself- a robust response by the players union to the ECB diktat would represent progress in history
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