Ben Stokes backing The Hundred to deliver on international stage

The England all-rounder feels that The Hundred, which launches this summer, could become a global phenomenon to rival the Indian Premier League and lead to fixtures between international sides.

His comments come after Northern Superchargers, the franchise based at Emerald Headingley, for whom he is the England centrally-contracted player, finalised their 15-man squad yesterday, with Yorkshire pace bowler Matty Fisher and batsman Harry Brook among the last five players picked by coach Darren Lehmann.

“That’s where you want it to end up (played at international level),” Stokes told The Yorkshire Post from Ahmedabad, where he was preparing for the third Test against India.

“Why try and start a form of cricket if you don’t want it to aspire to be something bigger than you’d originally planned?

“We all know the thoughts when T20 cricket first started. It was all a bit ‘oh, this is just a muck around really’, and now you look at what that’s become and it’s become – I’m not sure if it is the most watched form, but it certainly has the biggest craze around it, and it’s played all around the world, so there’s no reason why The Hundred couldn’t be the same.”

Asked if it could rival IPL, the biggest and most lucrative T20 competition in the world, Stokes, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, added: “Why not? Everything’s got to start somewhere. This year’s the start for The Hundred. In five-to-10 years’ time, who knows where it could be?

“With us hopefully being able to attract a new audience, that’s just as big (a thing) as the people taking part in the competition. It’s already attracted big names from not only England, but all over the world as well, which is what you need, I think, for a successful competition.

“Who knows where The Hundred could end up.”

Stokes, 29, was one of 10 players already retained by Superchargers after last year’s launch was postponed because of Covid.

Also retained were Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid, David Willey, Adam Lyth and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, which means that – with the addition of Fisher and Brook to the Superchargers’ roster – there will be nine Yorkshire players in a competition that also features Yorkshire’s Joe Root and Dawid Malan (Trent Rockets) and Jonny Bairstow (Welsh Fire).

Lehmann’s other picks yesterday were Stokes’s England team-mate Olly Stone, the Warwickshire fast bowler, plus Stokes’s Durham pace bowling team-mate Matty Potts and Leicestershire left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, twin brother of the Lancashire leg-spinner Matt, who is currently a reserve on the India tour.

Each of the eight franchises can make a so-called wildcard selection after the group stages of the T20 Blast, which finishes on July 18, three days before the start of The Hundred, which runs until August 21.

“We’ve kept the core the same and made some really good signings,” said Stokes, who should be available for the early stages plus any Finals Day appearance.

“I think we’ve got all bases covered.”

Meanwhile, Northern Superchargers women have added three players to their squad and can add five more before June, recruiting the Australian duo of batter/wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy and all-rounder Nicola Carey, along with England all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards.

“It’s massively exciting,” said Davidson-Richards, previously of the Yorkshire Diamonds. “It’s such a good platform for the women’s game to build on, and I can’t wait to get going.”

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