ECB Cancels Contracts of Players Scheduled To Play 'The Hundred'

The ‘Hundred’ was supposed to be the marquee tournament of the English season in 2020. The newly created 100-ball tournament was scheduled to take place between July 17-August 15, 2020 between eight men as well as women teams all over England.

But with the onslaught of the global pandemic that is the coronavirus [COVID-19], England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] have been forced to cancel the first edition. The decision was announced by the ECB last Thursday. And, now the apex cricketing body in England has terminated the contracts of the players who were slated to participate in the inaugural edition.

The drafts to pick players for ‘The Hundred’ took place last October and the franchises had already finalized their squads for the men’s version of the tournament and the women squads were also in the process of being finalized before the proliferation of the pandemic has shellacked all those plans.

Also Read: Inaugural Season Of The Hundred Postponed Until 2021

The ECB has sent a termination letter to all the players involved in the competition

The statement further said that the England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] are working closely with the PCA regarding various options for players as far as launching the tournament next year is concerned.

“We can confirm that a letter terminating current player contracts has been issued today to all involved. This letter is necessary paperwork to legally update and inform players of the situation, which follows a notification last week around the launch of the new competition being moved to 2021. We are working closely with PCA on a number of options for players regarding next year’s launch.” the BBC quoted an ECB statement regarding the same.

The onset of the pandemic that put the entire English home season at risk. The ECB has already suspended its domestic season, which was originally scheduled to start from April, till July 01. The board is exploring various other options to ensure that at least some cricket is played in the 2020 season which includes conducting games behind closed doors. Already, England’s white-ball fixtures against Australia have been postponed till September and the series against West Indies and Pakistan are also under jeopardy.

Also Read: It’s A Huge Shame: Jason Roy On The Postponement Of ‘The Hundred’ Due To COVID-19