Reports: 'The Hundred' could be postponed by a year amidst coronavirus outbreak

Reports have emerged that the launch of England's flagship franchise cricket tournament 'The Hundred' could be postponed by a year if the cricketing season is cut to less than three months, reported i-News.

Speaking on The Cricket Collective, a podcast on talkSPORT2, Durham Chief Executive Tim Bostock said that the England and Wales Cricket Board has been pragmatic and if the season is cut short to two months then they could well delay the launch of their flagship tournament.

"Protecting the Hundred is important, although in the conversations I’ve had with the ECB, if it ends up being a two-month season – which is possible – a view will be taken about whether this is really the right time to launch the Hundred," Bostock said.

It needs to be noted that, Australian opener David Warner, who was the highest-paid athlete in the draft, withdrew from the competition without citing a specific reason. His manager James Erskine later clarified that his client pulled out of the tournament since he wanted to play against Zimbabwe in August.

The ECB had earlier suspended all professional and recreational cricket due to the outbreak.

The 8-team tournament was scheduled to begin on July 2020, where the city-based franchises were scheduled to field both male and female teams. However, the unprecedented outbreak halted the plans and according to Bostock, the ECB thinks that it would be better for the brand if it is launched next year.

“Tom Harrison (ECB CEO) has been really pragmatic. I certainly get the impression if we get a two-month season the pragmatic view would be what’s the point of launching this competition now? Let’s launch it properly next year. I think we’re all on the same page.”