The Hundred: Proof of the pudding will be in the eating over Pakistan issue
ANY statement released by a sporting body in relation to a bad news story from its perspective which is sent out at 7.25 at night - a couple of hours after the national team in that sport has reached a World Cup semi-final and attention is naturally focused on that - is not one seemingly designed to give too much prominence to the underlying subject.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s insistence that The Hundred will indeed be a beacon of inclusivity - after reports that one of its own hands had suggested that the Indian-owned franchises would discriminate against Pakistani players in the selection process - must therefore be viewed with necessary caution.
Barely had the sweat dried on Harry Brook’s batting gloves - after the Yorkshireman’s brilliant hundred led England into the last four of the T20 World Cup - when the ECB appeared to choose a suggestive time to insist that there was, after all, nothing in the BBC story published last Thursday.
Styled as a joint statement by ECB and The Hundred teams, the missive read: “The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight of The Hundred team franchises reaffirm their commitment to ensuring The Hundred continues to be a competition that is inclusive, welcoming and open to all.
“The Hundred was established to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone - regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith, nationality or other - can feel they belong in our sport. This has been a guiding principle from the outset and remains at the heart of everything we do.”
The statement continued: “As the governing body responsible for running the tournament, the ECB is committed to ensuring there is no place for discrimination and has regulations in place to take robust action to tackle any such conduct. Players must not be excluded on the grounds of their nationality.”
It added: “All eight teams commit to selection being based solely on cricketing performance, availability and the needs of each team. This reflects the broader commitment of the ECB to make cricket the most inclusive team sport (the ECB’s favourite catchphrase - my insertion), creating opportunities, breaking down barriers and ensuring that players from all backgrounds have a fair and equal pathway to the top of the game.
“We want The Hundred to feature the very best talent from across the world, and will continue working proactively to ensure that the competition is a benchmark for inclusivity.”
In other words, PR-type stuff that could have been generated by an AI bot, with plenty of leeway for potential selection bias, too.
The proof of the pudding, as ever, will be in the eating. If no Pakistanis are chosen in next month’s auction by Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants, MI Brave and Southern Brave, the Indian-owned teams, suspicions will soar.
And although it might be possible to pass off non-Pakistani selection as a one-off this time, it would soon become apparent whether all parties were indeed genuine or merely deflecting from the tensions between India and Pakistan at the heart of this problem, and which threaten to bring The Hundred into disrepute.
The wider question, of course, is who gives a damn about any of this given that The Hundred continues to attract scorn from cricket lovers despite the huge sums of money it has brought into the game - as witnessed by the mostly derisory reader comments in the various publications following this story.
As one Telegraph reader, for example, put it bluntly: “The Hundred? Not even close to real cricket. Who gives a tinker’s cuss?”
Discrimination, of course, is a serious matter. Moeen Ali, the Yorkshire all-rounder of Pakistani heritage, has added his voice to the issue, insisting that players should “speak up” and be counted.
Quite so, Mo.
Some of us wouldn’t cross the road to watch The Hundred with a gun at our backs, but that’s by the by.