The Hundred: Australian Stars Could Miss The Inaugural Edition Due To A Busy International Season

Even as The Hundred underwent postponement last year due to the COVID-19 crisis, it could have to go through another hurdle this year. Ahead of the inaugural season of The Hundred, the tournament might lose a plethora of Australian players due to a hectic international season. The likes of Adam Zampa, D’arcy Short, Nathan Coulter-Nile, David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, and Jhye Richardson are all part of it. The first season of the competition is likely to begin on the 22nd of July.

According to The Daily Mail, Cricket Australia could withdraw their star players from The Hundred to keep them fit and fresh for a busy international season. Australia’s international season begins with the white-ball tour of West Indies and Bangladesh in the upcoming months. Additionally, the BCCI is mulling to reschedule the IPL 2021, with the T20 World Cup, Ashes and the limited-overs series at home against New Zealand and Sri Lanka also in the reckoning.

The Hundred, which is likely to commence from the 22nd of July, will clash with the India-England Test series, starting from the 4th of August and continue till the 14th of September. With several international venues in England booked to host The Hundred’s fixtures, the board might have to rejig the series.

Preponement of India-England Test series might prompt English stars to miss The Hundred:

Yet another caveat that adds to the mix is of the BCCI reportedly asking the ECB to advance the India-England five-match Test series to accommodate the second phase of IPL 2021. While the ECB denied the reports, several news portals have said the same. England offered to host the remainder of the marquee tournament, which the BCCI had to call off after 29 games due to a handful of COVID-19 positive cases.

Should the ECB abide by their Indian counterpart’s request of advancing the series, several English stars are unlikely to participate in The Hundred. The Indian board may also request the ECB to reduce the gap between the second and the third Test from nine to four days, giving more time to work it out.

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