The Hundred has "overwhelming support", claims Tom Harrison

Harrison stated his satisfaction at the discussion caused by the plans for the new eight-team tournament, which is set to begin in July 2020

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison has moved to quell doubts surrounding The Hundred, claiming that the new competition has “overwhelming support”.

Harrison, speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio Four, stated his satisfaction at the discussion caused by the plans for the new eight-team tournament, which is set to begin in July 2020.

“Ultimately, I’m pleased that there’s debate in the game because it shows there’s real passion out there,” he said.

“It’s important we have the debate with cricket fans. We will work with everybody to get everyone in the right place. Everyone has been very engaging through this process, we have had some lively debate and that’s right and proper.

“We are working very closely with all stakeholders, all counties – host counties and non-host counties – and have an awful lot of work to build on, hopefully a very successful World Cup to build on.”

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The buildup to The Hundred has been questioned in many quarters, with several criticising the concept behind the new format, while others have slammed the way in which the plans have been communicated.

Harrison, though, disputed any concern over the competition’s progress. He added: “I don’t agree at all [that things are not going well]. I think we have got overwhelming support for the Hundred across the game.”

However, when questioned over the identity of the teams, following a report by the Evening Standard last week, Harrison refused to comment.

“There’s lots of speculation about whether those names are accurate or not,” he stated in the radio interview. “When the season is finished we will get to the business of revealing team identities.”