'Hating every minute': James Anderson's comment a damning indictment of The Hundred

For a competition so divisive, the last thing it needs is England's all-time leading wicket-taker publicly expressing his resentment towards it.

2026 will mark the sixth edition of The Hundred, the 100-ball tournament which in the past has been criticised for being "anti-cricket" and labelled as a killer of the domestic game.

James Anderson decided to sample it last year, joining the Manchester Originals as a wildcard following his impressive form for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast.

Anderson featured in three matches for the Originals. It's fair to say he wasn't impressed.

Anderson told The Independent: "It was a mixture of hating every minute of The Hundred last year, if I can say that, and especially being captain this year, I think it's really important that I focus on being as fit as I can be for the four-day stuff.

"When The Hundred's on, I'm hopefully going to be on holiday somewhere."

Anderson, who turns 44 in July, has been named club captain of Lancashire and intends to focus all of his effort into leading the Red Rose back into Division One of the County Championship.

The former England Test star even has full intention of competing in the Blast, a competition which has been forced to navigate the implications of The Hundred's presence on the calendar in recent years.

But there will be no presence on the 100-ball stage for Anderson this summer, nor in the years to come.

He is not the only one to skip The Hundred, with Ben Stokes deciding not to register as he prioritises Test cricket.

Despite The Hundred undergoing a transformation following the investments of private companies invited by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the competition still requires favourable publicity.

At the player auction, there was some controversy. It was reported by the BBC that the four Indian Premier League-owned teams – MI London, SunRisers Leeds, Southern Brave and Manchester Super Giants – would not sign players from Pakistan due to diplomatic tensions with India.

In the end, Pakistan spin bowler Abrar Ahmed was signed by Indian-owned SunRisers, but Sunil Gavaskar's public criticism of the acquisition wasn't great for optics.

Whilst The Hundred has played a significant role in revolutionising women's cricket, but it will never unshackle the condemnation of the traditional cricket fan, who will likely bow to Anderson's disapproval of a competition which can merit the description of an influencer sport.

If only the Blast could have received the same lavish investment.