Former chairman Colin Graves always insisted that creating the Hundred did not represent a gamble, but some of the less bombastic colleagues he left behind at the ECB are well aware of the risk they have taken by shoehorning a new format into an already crowded schedule.
In cold financial terms, the ECB have committed to spending at least £312million on the Hundred over the next five years and need a return in terms of increased revenue and viewing figures, but perhaps more significantly to show conclusively they have expanded the sport's audience.
While the many sceptics will fixate on the thousands of empty seats when the Oval Invincibles meet Manchester Originals in the women's game on Wednesday evening — just 2,500 tickets have been sold with an additional 8,000 given away for the women's game although the men's clash on Thursday should attract a 25,000 capacity — the Hundred cannot be judged on one evening or even one season.
The ECB have committed to spending at least £312m on The Hundred in the next five years
Colin Graves always insisted that creating the Hundred did not represent a gamble but others at the ECB will be aware of the risk
The potential embarrassment of meagre crowds being shown on BBC primetime at games involving Welsh Fire and Southern Brave in particular will not be too troubling for the ECB, who view the Hundred as a five-year project and hopefully considerably longer.
Given the Hundred is essentially the product of the ECB's marketing department, it was little surprise to hear managing director Sanjay Patel talk up their 'phenomenal' revenue projections last week, but it is too early for such grand claims.
The ECB's central contention that the Hundred will trump the IPL by making a profit of £10m in its first year is questionable, as their accounting does not include the £1.3m annual dividend payments to be made to the 18 counties and the MCC, without which they would not have approved the competition.
If this additional £24.7m outgoing is included, the Hundred's costs rise to £63.4m, and with this year's revenue projected to be around £50m, it will be a while before it is genuinely profitable.
Managing director Sanjay Patel talked up their 'phenomenal' revenue projections last week
All start-ups have to begin somewhere however and the ECB's commercial team have achieved some notable successes. While the sponsorship deal with KP Snacks has been widely criticised by
