Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey
Ben Duckett has expressed his surprise at the empty seats in the 2026 Hundred season. It is the first edition since private investment, with a host of new team names and jerseys. The general consensus online among England fans is negative, arguing that tribalism a key part of English sporting culture.
Ben Duckett reacts to lower crowds in The Hundred 2026
However, Duckett said the crowds don’t match the quality of cricket on display in The Hundred. The tournament’s leading run-scorer was complementary of the calibre of bowlers on display.
“I’m so surprised that the crowds have been what they have, because I’d be desperate to watch some of these guys play cricket. They’ve not been great,” Duckett said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
“You look at every side, and it’s just world-class opponents.”
Trent Rockets’ match against Welsh Fire was at 3pm local time on Wednesday, but Duckett believes there must be a reason for the lower attendances across the competition. However, he steered clear of blaming fans.
“Just looking around the grounds, there must be a reason for it, so I’m not having a go at the fans or anything,” he said. “I mean, this is a Wednesday at 3pm – it’s probably never going to be a packed house. But yeah, the standard of cricket this year has been awesome. I’ve been watching every game [on TV].
“There’s a reason why I struggled with that new ball: you’ve got [Marco] Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson. Sam Cook didn’t even bowl in the powerplay. Everywhere you look, there’s not many weaknesses at all.”
Earlier this week, The Times reported crowds were down 20%. Fans have been vocal since the start of the tournament regarding the privatisation model that ignored the tribalism that so often defines English sport.
“Does he [Duckett] need us to explain that sport relies on connections? Else it is simply an exhibition match and exhibition tournaments at best have a shelf life. With the freebies and cheap tickets removed the real picture is beginning to paint itself,” wrote one fan on X.
“The teams had no feeling last year for the majority of fans. Now with rebranding, colour changes etc, that feeling has dropped even further,” wrote another.
