Issue 10: CRICKET! The amounts of money being raised in the UK by the sales of minority stakes in the Franchises of “The Hundred” competition is PHENOMENAL!!!

CRICKET!!! Yes, it is still February and cold in the UK, but CRICKET is still important, and flying WAY beneath the radar is the fact that substantial minority stakes in the Franchises of “The Hundred” Competition are currently being auctioned off to investors for PHENOMENAL amounts of money.

At the time of writing, with more auctions to come tomorrow, the ECB is £343 MILLION better off, having sold mostly 49% stakes in the Franchises transacted so far!

The GOOD: These are VAST amounts of money for the game of Cricket in UK.

The BAD? We may not quite know yet how these sums of money are going to be used – I HOPE it gets invested in the areas that need it, such as grass roots Cricket, the clubs, the schools, and how about thinking of the paying spectator occasionally?

The UGLY? Yes, it is entertaining. Yes, it brings in a wide audience. But be honest, can you even remember who won The Hundred even in 2024? I think I can remember most Test Match Series since 1980 at least, and who won!

These sums of money are staggering for the UK game.

Let’s hope they are used WISELY!