Boycott says "scrap the T20 Blast" as it is "overkill" alongside The Hundred

07 January 2023 , 12:12

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Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott has delivered his verdict on the action-packed schedule (Image: Philip Brown/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott has called for the T20 Blast to be axed, stating that "two T20-like competitions is overkill" following the introduction of The Hundred.

There are now three domestic white-ball tournaments in England, with The Hundred played concurrently with the One-Day Cup meaning that most counties are left without their top stars.

As a result, the majority of English cricketers have not played a domestic List A game since 2019, with the One-Day Cup scrapped in 2020 due to Covid and then overshadowed by The Hundred ever since.

And Boycott believes the Blast is the tournament that should be scrapped given the ECB are all in on The Hundred, claiming "too much of a good thing can breed apathy" when it comes to white-ball cricket.

"I understand that T20 will not improve the standards of our cricketers," Boycott wrote in a column for the Telegraph. "It is not intended to.

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"It is meant to be fun and exciting and if players enjoy playing it and people enjoy watching it then nobody should criticise it. Sport should be about enjoyment.

Boycott has called for the T20 Blast to be scrapped (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

"But too much of a good thing can breed apathy and we have too many one-day competitions. Our counties play each other in T20 matches and a 50-over competition, and on top of that we have the Hundred.

"If the Hundred is seen as that important because it brings money into the game then scrap the T20 Blast the counties play. Two T20-like competitions is overkill and clogs up the cricket calendar."

"More importantly, it makes no sense for counties to be playing each other without their best England players, and the top overseas stars are saving themselves for the Hundred," he added. "It is a mad way of running our sport."

Matthew Cooper