David Lloyd has called for The Hundred to be scrapped ahead of its second season, claiming there is "no place for it" and that the T20 Blast is "the tournament to beat all tournaments".
The inaugural edition of The Hundred took place last year and, while Lloyd admits it was "great fun", he feels the ECB should have instead focused on promoting the Blast. In an interview with the Daily Mail , Lloyd accused the ECB of "throwing away money" on The Hundred.
"Last year's inaugural season was great fun and it was fantastic to see so many families having a ball in the stands," he said. "The bottom line, however, is that there is no place for it.
"This competition doesn't fit. It's an extra jigsaw puzzle piece in English cricket that we don't need. Nobody else in the world plays the format, it disrupts everything else we do, including the cherished County Championship and yet millions of pounds have been spent on it and broadcasters are falling over themselves for it because it's short and fits both attention spans and schedules.
"Well, let me tell you. We already have the product. It's called the Twenty20 Blast. Its 20th season opens in two months, and we can confirm it's stood the test of time. It's the tournament to beat all tournaments for me.
"Since a chap called Stuart Robertson invented T20s after the turn of the century, the Blast's been like a runaway train and the standard remains as good as anything around the world. And the daftness appeals to English audiences.
"Look at the Hundred. Celebrity coaches. Really? What can they do? What do they do? The ECB are throwing away money. Nobody is interested in who is in charge of the Doncaster Dipsticks."
The second season of The Hundred will take place this summer, with the results of the player draft and the new women's signings due to be announced next week. A total of 534 players have registered for the draft, including 284 overseas stars and 250 domestic players.
David Warner, Chris Gayle, Babar Azam, Mitchell Marsh, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran are the headline stars, having registered with a reserve price of £125,000. Only four domestic players have set reserve prices, with Joe Clarke opting for £60,000, Adam Wheater picking £50,000 and Joe Denly and Will Rhodes registering at £40,000.
