London, April 30: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday said that the inaugural edition of The Hundred has been postponed to 2021.
"The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today confirms that the launch of The Hundred will now take place in summer 2021," said the ECB in its statement.
"The news follows a meeting dedicated to the subject, where the board concluded it was not possible for the competition to be staged this year."
ECB said that apart from the logistical challenges posed by the pandemic including social distancing norms, travel restrictions and furloughing across the venues, it felt holding the tournament behind closed doors contradicts "the competition's goal to attract a broader audience."
"Whilst we are naturally disappointed that we won't get to realise our ambitions this year, The Hundred will go ahead in 2021 when we are safely able to deliver everything we intended to help grow the game," said ECB CEO Tom Harrison.
"The Hundred will create millions in revenues for the game, through hosting fees, hospitality and ticket sales, as well as delivering £25m in annual financial distributions to all First-Class Counties and MCC. Its role in driving participation alongside supporting the development of the women's game will be material in generating take-up of our game across country-wide communities.
"The Hundred is an important element of the game's Inspiring Generations strategy, which has been debated and agreed upon across the whole game. While financially, our plans may be impacted, our ambition, ‘to inspire a generation' should in no way be diluted," he said.