Why is England’s test match batting more vulnerable than Alex Hales’ gooly-wooly-woolies? We can’t yet pin this on The Hundred (though that won’t stop some from trying), but there is little doubt that the domestic schedule does not give Joe Root’s side the best chance of batting long and batting big. The Hundred – another white-ball competition crammed into the calendar – threatens to marginalise first-class cricket even further.
Early-season conditions in the County Championship are a world away from high summer in England, let alone the sweltering conditions elsewhere in the cricketing world. How did we get to this point? How could The Hundred amplify the problem? What can be done to prevent it? Kit and Matt discuss. 
TOPICS: How the domestic calendar hinders England’s test match batting (1:15 ) 
How The Hundred will amplify England’s fragility (13:05 ) 
The future for English red-ball batting amid the introduction of The Hundred (17:28 ) 
Is the issue over-blown? (27:34 ) 
The impact of The Hundred on women’s test cricket (34:03 ) 
MUSIC: Pod.co, 'One Fine Day'