I'd like Hundred to be longer - Salt

Welsh Fire captain Phil Salt expressed his desire for The Hundred to have an additional day, after his team participated in three matches within a span of five days. On Saturday, Salt's team emerged victorious against Birmingham Phoenix, then secured a win against Southern Brave on Monday evening before suffering a loss to Manchester Super Giants on Wednesday.

Salt told BBC Sport that the intense timetable over the past few days had been a struggle. He mentioned that the team traveled from Birmingham to Cardiff and then back to Manchester, highlighting the challenges of managing the players' well-being amidst such a grueling schedule.

Salt suggested extending The Hundred's group stage, which currently spans 23 days with teams playing eight matches, to a week longer. In comparison, the Indian Premier League sees teams play 14 group games in a 56-day period, while last season's Big Bash League in Australia featured 10 group games each in a 36-day window. The Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has raised concerns about the impact of The Hundred on player welfare, noting the physical and mental dangers of an overly intense schedule.

PCA chief executive Daryl Mitchell expressed worry about the impact of an unchanged County Championship season on player burnout.

Salt acknowledged the constraints of finding more time in the schedule and the impact on his squad, specifically mentioning the tall players Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson who had to endure three days of extensive bus travel. While he recognized the difficulty in finding more time, Salt emphasized the need for a brief respite between matches, acknowledging that they were operating within a tight schedule. He concluded by jokingly lamenting the impossibility of adding an extra week to the calendar.