NICK HOWSON speaks to four domestic players now looking forward to taking their place in the inaugural edition of the 100-ball competition, which was not the case 12 months ago
The Hundred - men fixtures 2021
The Hundred - women fixtures 2021
Jet-black floors. Fluorescent lighting. A live studio audience. Thousands watching across multiple channels. England internationals everywhere. A dramatic 100-second countdown. If this was just the drama of The Hundred draft, think what the cricket might be like?
But that was then, this is now.
A fortnight ago, there was no glitz and glamour. No Nasser Hussain picking apart every selection, nor a group of players sitting nervously awaiting each pick. Coaches and analysts plotting their next move were absent. Mark Nicholas' glorious tracksuit went unseen.
After much fanfare and intrigue around the first draft of its kind in British sporting history in October 2019, the process to all-but complete the eight men's Hundred squads for the delayed inaugural edition of the competition was quite the opposite. Events occurring behind-closed-doors have become a staple of our lives over the past 12 months and this was that unwanted dynamic firmly in action again.
Following the retention window, which gave teams the chance to cling onto as much as their 2020 squad as they wished, the final berths (eight are reserved for wild-card picks not to be confirmed until the summer) were finalised two weeks ago.
Two hundred and fifty-two overseas stars and 254 domestic-based players were vying for 35 berths. Some had failed to regain contracts from last year, others were hoping the intervening period had boosted their claim.
Selections were made, players informed, and then the full squads dropped sporadically 24 hours later. Announcements were at times uncoordinated but we got there. Eventually.
The foreign players you have all seen before. Previously unsold trio Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard and Kagiso Rabada were among the top four selections. David Warner went back to Southern Brave; his Australia teammates Jhye Richardson, fresh from being a £1.38 million signing for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League draft, was the seventh pick.
Colin Ingram and Pakistan's Shadab Khan completed the international contingent, after securing deals with Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals.
However, the most interesting stories were to be found among the domestic group. The termination of Kolpak registrations meant extra spaces had suddenly opened up. Hardus Viljoen, Wayne Parnell, Marchant de Lange, Kyle Abbott, Cameron Delport, David Wiese, Ravi Rampaul, Simon Harmer, Rilee Rossouw and Dane Vilas - the surprise package of the last draft - were all victims.
Twenty-eight places remained for county talent to fill. Some, like Ravi Bopara (Birmingham Phoenix to London Spirit), Harry Gurney (Trent Rockets to Originals) and Jordan Clark (Originals to Invincibles) merely found new homes. But others went from the peripheral of the party to the centre of the dance floor.
"The last year when it was on TV I was over-excited for it," said Matthew Potts, the Durham quick who was picked up by Northern Superchargers. "It distracted me from the fundamentals of what I can take care of and let everything that is out of my control happen, rather than fixating on things. This year I went in with a more relaxed approach."
Potts has benefitted from going on a phenomenal run during the back-end of last season's Blast
"I forgot it was on that day," admitted Yorkshire's Matt Fisher, who was also picked up by the Headingley-based Superchargers. "There was no hype around.
"It was a surprise, I wasn't expecting anything. I tried to look at it that way and if you get picked up it is a bonus. A nice surprise really."
"Last time I was in Australia and watched it over a stream over the internet," said Welsh Fire-bound Matt Critchley of Derbyshire. "So that wasn't a great feeling.
"I went for a run on Monday (when players were due to be informed) morning because I was so nervous of not knowing.
"I tried my best to ignore it but when you don't know and you're not really sure how you're going to find out, you're always on your phone, texting your mates. I was texting Callum Parkinson quite a bit, who got in (at Superchargers). I had to go and distract myself."
Some players like Miles Hammond were more perplexed than surprised at getting a call. Just five of the domestic players drafted can be considered outright batters but after enlisting last season's leading run-scorer in the T20 Blast, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Phoenix plumped for the Gloucestershire man too.
"I probably performed better two years ago than in this year's Blast," said the 25-year-old, who averaged 21 for the semi-finalists, compared to 26.83 the season prior. "It was interesting that I got picked up this year. You put in some consistent performances and that is what happens. In a way, the competition not going ahead last year was a bit of a blessing."
Matt Critchley was part of the Derbyshire side that reached Finals Day in 2019
"How is The Hundred draft working, when do we find out the picks?, Saqib Mahmood, at the time preparing for the eventually-curtailed Pakistan Super League, wrote on Twitter.
Having had names revealed against the backdrop of mood lighting on live television, news of selection for 2021 came via messages from agents and emails from teams. After taking in the draft as a group, players were huddled around phones in their kitchens and living rooms waiting for news; all very fitting of the era.
"We all watched it all last year which was a little bit underwhelming," added 22-year-old Potts. "It is always nice to watch things brew over time but we had none of that this year. I was sitting at home and then I got a text from my agent, letting me know the score that we got what we set out to achieve and to keep quiet until it was finalised.
"I found out while having a cup of tea with my dad. I didn't even tell my sister - loose lips sink ships."
Potts played his way into contention across six days last September, when he claimed three-wicket hauls in the Blast wins over Leicestershire, Yorkshire and Lancashire. High-value breakthroughs in clusters with the new ball typified his displays - and those kinds of skills will be vital when the 100-ball competition comes around.
Selected in the fourth price band (£48,000), if you disregard overseas and England players, only Tom Helm, Joe Clarke, Benny Howell and Tom Abell are in a higher category than the right-armer.
"It's a massive compliment," he gleamed. "I'm not one for stats too much, it is more about match-winning performances. It's nice to be recognised for the performances you've put across the season. There are some big names that have been picked. It's nice to be up the list and that it is backed up.
"The success in the season came when I had that fire in my belly, almost the desire to win and it got my tail up. You roll with the punches - when things are going your way you kind of continue - and I do think the last few games of the season, taking wickets in succession and blowing away teams probably has contributed a lot to the selection of The Hundred. The nine wickets in three games probably did contribute heavily to the selection.
"It's not motivated by the money but it is a byproduct. You look at it as a reward for being selected. Money is money, it comes as goes and it is not a constant thing in life. It is a bit surreal."
Being declared a close contact after David Willey tested positive for Covid-19 meant 14 days of quarantine and a watching brief for much of last season's Blast for former England Under-19 seamer Fisher.
But thanks to taking eight scalps across the four matches he was able to feature in, he was able to grab a contract for this summer.
"I felt like it probably wasn't a big enough size to nail a contract," admitted the 22-year-old, whose coach Andrew Gale is among Darren Lehmann's support staff at Superchargers. "I'm glad they've looked at those games, seen the potential and hopefully I can repay that faith.
"T20 cricket is going down the taking-wickets route. That is the quickest way to slow a team down and keep them to a decent total. There are lots of stats about taking three wickets in a powerplay. I've got a skillset to do that, with decent pace and I've got a yorker and can back my hard lengths. Teams will come harder so it more important to be aggressive and try and take wickets."
Critchley's selection by Fire means Derbyshire will be represented by three of the players who got them to T20 Finals Day for the first time in 2019. Wayne Madsen is with Originals and Luis Reece will represent Spirit.
"I played a little bit against Luis growing up when he was at Lancashire," said Critchley, who made his first-class debut at new home Sophia Gardens but has never played a white-ball fixture there. "But I've always played with Wayne and he's one of the best players of spin in the country. He's so good he'll probably just whack me.
"We played about a day and a half (in Cardiff) and it rained the rest of the time. It'll be strange. That's one of the things that come with the tournament."
Matt Fisher endured a truncated 2020 after being forced into self-isolation
The number of opportunities afforded to Hammond will likely be dictated by the availability of Moeen Ali. The 25-year-old provides a left-handed option, though with Kane Williamson, Abell and Bell-Drummond for company, he'll be drinking in every minute of the experience.
"I know they said my stats were good and Dan Weston is working at Phoenix so I don't know if there was something in that," he said when asked what might have influenced his selection. "Maybe against spin, where I score.
"Moeen Ali might well be playing Test cricket at some point so I might be a replacement for him as a leftie.
"What it means is it is an opportunity to be in and around some really good players and pick their brains. Kane Williamson, Moeen, Adam Zampa, Daniel Vettori as coach, Andrew McDonald. It is an opportunity to get into a really good environment and learn a lot.
"If I do get a game and I play then it is another opportunity to play in a big tournament. Franchise tournaments go a long way and there is a lot of pressure on. It is a massive learning experience and it is about going in with an open mind."
It is when you hear of their delight at being able to rub shoulders regularly with England Test players, international stars and franchise regulars that one of the true benefits of this competition, from a cricketing point of view, becomes abundantly clear.
"It's another stepping stone," said Fisher. "It's an opportunity to play at a good standard and get closer to international level. Hopefully, with the opportunity, you get if you perform well you put your name into a hat that if you're not in it, it is tougher to get international honours.
"You'd play for nothing to fulfil what you want to achieve. I'd give up a lot of career earnings to play for England. It's not all about that."
Fisher, in particular, is a bit of a cricket badger. He is eager to put into practice the plans he forms from the comfort of his own sofa.
"I've always watched Pollard in the IPL and he's a dangerous hitter at the death. Whenever I've been watching on the sofa I've been thinking where would you bowl at him? Now you actually have to actually do it. I've only ever bowled at him in the nets so that will be cool, as much as it will be tough. I'm looking forward to all of them and you have to be on your guard.
"You sometimes see a bowler struggling and you're thinking 'I wouldn't be doing that' or 'they've got the right plan they're just not executing it'. I watch a lot of cricket and the game changes so quickly. You've got to stay up with the times and keep watching and see what the best players in the world are doing. You've got to keep up with the cricket around the world or you'll be left behind."
Critchley added: "I want to face and speak to Rashid Khan. Obviously, he is the best legspinner in the world. I know he's been at Sussex but we've never played against him so that'll be pretty cool.
"Bowling to Nicholas Pooran, he whacks them. We played against Yorkshire two years ago at Queens Park. All the England lads being in the mix makes it better really. To play against them if the schedule allows it and to be in the tournament with them will be pretty cool."
Miles Hammond was part of the Gloucestershire side that reached Finals Day last year
Before then, hard yards have to run in pre-season, early rounds of the County Championship and the Blast. The Hundred is now firmly put to bed until the third week of July. But the buzz has already begun.
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