Mark Robinson calls for youngsters in The Hundred to be released for Royal London Cup

The current regulations don't allow for players involved in The Hundred to be released to their counties while the tournament is ongoing, but Robinson wants more flexibility "for the protection of their development"

Mark Robinson has called for tweaks in the relationship between The Hundred and Royal London Cup to ensure young players aren't left on the sidelines without cricket through the two tournaments' monthlong window.

The Warwickshire first-team coach appealed for a change in the regulations ahead of next year to ensure that youngsters involved in The Hundred but not playing could be drafted back into their county sides on matchdays "for the protection of their development".

The current regulations don't allow for players involved in The Hundred to be released to their counties while the tournament is ongoing.

"We embrace The Hundred," he said, speaking to The Cricketer, "but we just have to get that balance right all the time in terms of protecting the development of our best young players and not just having them carrying drinks, going through what could be a four or five-week period without getting a game of cricket at a time when they need to be playing."

Robinson watched his Warwickshire fall to a heavy defeat against Middlesex on Friday with a side that featured several senior players but also 16-year-old Hamza Shaikh, who only completed his GCSEs a matter of months ago, and 17-year-old Kai Smith, who took over wicketkeeping duties early on at Radlett after Michael Burgess suffered a thumb injury.

The county are missing more than a whole team's worth of players to The Hundred and other fitness issues, but Robinson pointed to the examples of Jacob Bethell, 18, and Dan Mousley, 21, as two players who ought to be able to move between their Hundred teams – Welsh Fire and Birmingham Phoenix, respectively – and Warwickshire.

"We're hurting at the moment because you're seeing Jacob Bethell not playing, a lad who's just done his A-Levels," Robinson added. "He's got a great opportunity to be around international players and international coaches, but equally he needs to be playing cricket.

^{Jacob Bethell hasn't played since Warwickshire's second team faced Kent in mid-July (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

"Dan Mousley, I think he's faced [three] balls in The Hundred so far – he's just turned 21 and it just seems a shame that the rules don't allow especially your under-21s to be playing cricket. You sort of feel we're missing an opportunity as a game, to stop our young players having a chance to play.

"They should be playing. They need to be playing cricket. Rules are rules, but everybody at the end of a season has a chance to address what's worked in a season and what rules need changing.

"Players need to play, especially at that age. Dan and [Jacob] would both be bowling overs and batting in the top five.

"That's not taking away from the experience they're getting in The Hundred, but I think as a game we have to look after the development of our young players and see if we can allow them to have the best of both worlds."

Robinson pointed to the development opportunities for his youngsters in coming up against Middlesex's side; they featured India fast bowler Umesh Yadav and South African batter Pieter Malan, as well as an experienced top six, including former England Test openers Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman.

He also highlighted the stunted nature of Mousley's season, having missed a fair bit of cricket this summer with a broken thumb, only to "get back playing and is now not playing". Bethell, meanwhile, has struggled for form in first-team cricket since enjoying a breakthrough winter at the Under-19 World Cup. He is yet to play for Welsh Fire.

"I understand the rules," said Robinson, "but hopefully it's something that as a game we need to be looking at to try and get right for the future and for the protection of their development."

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