ECB is trying to future-proof cricket with The Hundred: Warwickshire chief executive Stuart Cain

Warwickshire chief executive Stuart Cain stated that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is attempting to bring in a new audience and ‘future-proof cricket’ with the help of 'The Hundred'. Notably, the third season of the Hundred will run from August 1 to August 27, with the men’s and women’s fixtures to take place simultaneously. 

It is worth mentioning that each of the counties is paid £1.3 million per year by the ECB, under the terms of the initial agreement. However, a report by Worcestershire chair Fanos Hira questioned the accounting methods by ECB and claimed that the Hundred lost around £9 million in the first two seasons.

Ahead of the forthcoming season, Warwickshire chief executive and the director of Birmingham Phoenix, Stuart Cain, highlighted the economic reality behind the competition.

"You've got the history and tradition of 18 counties, and then you've got city vs city, eight franchises playing. That's the challenge for the sport: how do we still keep the ethos of the Hundred, attract those new audiences and bring new money in?” Cain was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Because that money funds the game… every county gets a payment as a consequence of that and if you took that payment away from some of those counties, they could fold. That's the harsh economic reality behind the Hundred,” he added.

The principle of it is great, I’m supportive of it: Cain

However, Stuart Cain backed ECB’s idea, as he cited the investments made by Saudi Arabia, pumping humongous amounts of money into football clubs in recent times and their vision for the long term Interestingly enough, Cain also name-dropped LIV golf which revolutionised the game of Golf and gave a chance to renowned golfers to make a greater living apart from playing in just PGA tours. 

"Whether it makes money or not, I don't know. But you ask the Saudis and LIV [golf] whether that's going to make money for the next five or 10 years, or ask the new owners of Newcastle [United] whether they're going to make money for the next five or 10 years. They're trying to build something, aren't they?” he said.

"I think that's what the ECB is trying to do: build something that helps future-proof cricket by bringing new audiences in, generating new revenue streams for the counties and encouraging new opportunities for people to watch the sport on free-to-air television. I think the principle of it is great - and yes, I'm supportive of it,” Cain concluded.