Kevin Pietersen backs The Hundred to nurture domestic players

Trent Rockets with the trophy [PC: Twitter]

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen showered praise on The Hundred and said that the tournament is critical to the growth of the game and the development of a strong domestic framework in the country.

Since the inception of the 100-ball tournament, there is a growing debate over its entire existence as it has been questioned by many fans and pundits of the game from the word go. However former cricketers like Eoin Morgan and Nasser Hussain came in support of the format. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, Pietersen remarked that tournaments such as the Hundred and the IPL are critical for domestic players to showcase their talent. He recalled his time playing in the IPL when a young Virat Kohli used to share the dressing room with some of the legends of the game.

 "These tournaments are so important for domestic players. When the IPL started, I was at RCB and we had Virat rttzez we es szzz in our side. He was a little guy and he sat next to Kallis, Kumble, Dravid, all these amazing players," Kevin Pietersen told Sky Sports.

For a long time now, Pietersen has been vocal about the benefits of the English players participating in the T20 tournaments around the globe. 

"I said it was a learning academy. No matter how many Test matches I played, no matter how many one-day internationals, it was an academy for all of us to learn. This will grow the domestic structure, make the domestic players better and that will produce better England players."

The Hundred continues to be a divisive addition to the English cricket calendar, with the main concern being how it is taking up arguably the best month of the summer, while at the same time inflicting damage on other formats of the sport.

Also Read: How the Manchester Originals fared in The Hundred