England Clear International Window for The Hundred as Salaries Surge and Carse Row Rumbles On

England's cricketers will be free to play The Hundred in July and August after the ECB cleared a window in the international schedule, ensuring the country's top players are available for the eight-team franchise competition throughout its running.

The move addresses a criticism ECB chair Richard Thompson said the tournament had drawn before — finishing only two days before England played a Test match at Headingley. Thompson also said England could no longer pull players out of The Hundred to prepare for international matches. The message is straightforward: the franchise competition gets its stars, and the international calendar bends around it.

The financial picture explains why. More than £500 million was raised last year when stakes in the eight Hundred franchises were sold to private investors, with the money spread across the professional and domestic game, BBC Sport reports. That investment is already reshaping player wages. The salary pot for each men's Hundred side in 2026 has risen 45% to £2.05 million, while the fund for the women's teams has doubled — a 100% increase — according to figures published in March BBC Sport.

Thompson said only four countries — England, South Africa, India and Australia — have created a dedicated window that can guarantee the financial success of their game. Cricket, he acknowledged, is paying a big price for running four overlapping competitions. But he believes the financial gain will justify the strain, a point he first made in 2022 BBC Sport and has continued to press as the franchise landscape has matured.

Off the field, Thompson described continued questions around the professionalism of England's men's team as "enormously" disappointing. His remarks follow the case of bowler Brydon Carse, who was left out of England's second Test against Pakistan after being briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly while on duty with his county side, Durham. Carse was de-arrested, but investigations by police and the Cricket Regulator remain ongoing BBC Sport.

For fans, the upshot is twofold. On the pitch, The Hundred — the ECB's 100-ball-per-side format designed for television and new audiences — will feature the strongest available England talent, uninterrupted by international call-ups. Off it, the sport's governing body is simultaneously defending its players' conduct and betting heavily that franchise money will lift the whole game.

The salary numbers tell their own story. A 45% rise for the men and a doubling for the women, funded by private investment, puts The Hundred among the better-paid short-form competitions in world cricket. Whether that financial weight eases the scheduling pressures Thompson acknowledges — or simply adds to them — is the question the next few seasons will answer.