Leicestershire head coach strongly criticizes Hundred player participation rules

Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas has expressed his frustration over The Hundred's player participation rules, calling them "ridiculous." The Foxes, who have been hit hard by injuries, lost to Surrey in the One-Day Cup on Tuesday and are set to face Yorkshire on Thursday, marking their fourth match in seven days.

Thomas is upset because several Leicestershire players have only played occasionally for their Hundred teams, despite the county struggling with player numbers. He believes these players would be better off playing for their county if they are not selected for The Hundred.

"The win on Sunday (against Sussex) came at a cost - we lost Ben Mike, we lost [Matt] Salisbury, we've got [Liam] Trevaskis with a strapped quad, Chris Wright who's got a [bad] ankle," Thomas said.

"What kills me is tonight we'll go and watch The Hundred and see a couple of our lads not play, which to me is an absolutely ridiculous rule. Just to sit out in the dugout and carry a couple of drinks," he further added.

Leicestershire currently has five players in Hundred franchises. Batters Louis Kimber and Rishi Patel are with Birmingham Phoenix, all-rounder Rehan Ahmed is with Southern Brave, and bowlers Scott Currie and Josh Hull are with Manchester Originals. However, Patel and Kimber have only played two of Phoenix's five games, Ahmed has played two for Brave, and Hull has also played two for the Originals. Only Currie has played all five games.

"For teams like Leicestershire, it's going to hurt more because of the size of our squad. This is the one downside of having a good campaign in the Blast because you're going to lose players," he concluded.

Last year, only Ahmed and Callum Parkinson left the Foxes in the summer for The Hundred, with Ahmed returning after just two matches. This season, the East Midlands club is fifth in Group B with six points after three wins and two defeats.