Privately, you suspect that the Hundred administrators loved the skirmish. On Tuesday night, Liam Livingstone defied being called a “fat slob” by his friend Tom Curran to lead Birmingham Phoenix to victory over Oval Invincibles.
The match had some much-needed needle. “I have no idea why Tom [Curran] started to spray me,” Livingstone said after the match. “He is one of my good friends and he called me a fat slob or something so I thought, ‘Let’s hope you don’t go for a few if you come back at the death’ and he did so I’m kind of happy with that.”
Advertisement
Livingstone had his revenge. His match-winning 69 not out included striking Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan for three sixes and two four and an assault on Curran, smashing 21 runs off the nine balls he faced from him.
“He called me a ‘fat slob’ or something, so I thought, ‘Let’s hope you don’t go for a few coming back to bowl at the death,’ and he did – so [I am] kind of happy with that.”
The altercation is a riposte to the frequent criticism of the Hundred, that the players do not care. In its fifth season, the competition is developing rivalries. The Oval Invincibles, bidding for a third consecutive men’s title, are becoming the side that everyone craves to beat, which might explain Livingstone’s joy.
Advertisement
For the Hundred, the needle brought to mind Shane Warne’s altercation with Marlon Samuels in Australia’s Big Bash competition in 2013, when the two clashed heatedly on the field.
Cricket Australia said that they “could not condone” the incident, but also declared that it would serve to “inspire greater rivalry and create greater interest in the Big Bash League”.
These words recognised that, as was evident during India’s Test series in England this summer, cricket often benefits from heightened on-field tensions.
There is much else that would enhance the Hundred, as it prepares for the 2026 season, its first completely under private ownership.
Advertisement
Indian players
The desire of all franchise leagues in the world, beyond the Indian Premier League itself. With four of the eight teams owned by groups linked to the IPL, in theory the Hundred should have a chance of pushing the Board of Control for Cricket in India to relax their ban on Indian players. In reality, there seems little likelihood of this happening; in South Africa, all six franchises in the SA20 are owned by IPL-linked groups, yet the BCCI’s position on Indian talent remains unchanged. Perhaps the most likely plausible outcome is for the BCCI to allow either a small number of under-23 players to appear.
A pathway to the Champions League
One simple way to enhance the Hundred would be to link it the broader ecosystem in the game. Perhaps the best way of doing this is to bring back the Champions League, as is being mooted. Winners of the Hundred would then be granted entry into the Champions League a few months later, enabling them to test themselves on the world stage.
Advertisement
Better pitches
In 10 men’s games so far this season, there has been only one score of 165 or more. Better pitches would encourage more high-scoring. With groundsmen under more strain from the schedule than ever before, they will need more support. At least the balls used this year are less conducive for seam bowling than the 2024 vintage.
Article courtesy of
Source link
