Salt wants Hundred extended by a week after three games in five days

Welsh Fire captain Phil Salt has said The Hundred should ideally be a week longer after his team played three matches in five days. The side, currently second in the standings, beat Birmingham Phoenix on Saturday, defeated Southern Brave in Cardiff on Monday, and then lost to Manchester Super Giants on Wednesday.

Salt told BBC Sport the past few days had been "a little bit hectic" and that it was a lot to get through in five days while managing players' bodies. From a player's perspective, he would like the competition to be about a week longer.

The Hundred's group stage spans 23 days, with each team playing eight games. By comparison, Indian Premier League teams each play 14 group matches over a 56-day period, and in last season's Big Bash League in Australia, sides played ten group games each within a 36-day window.

Since its launch in 2021, The Hundred has added to an already crowded English summer schedule. The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) has continued to voice concerns about player welfare. In response to the 2026 calendar, which cut the T20 Blast by two matches, PCA chief executive Daryl Mitchell said the unchanged County Championship season raises concerns about burnout, with mental and physical dangers attached to an overly intense end to the season following The Hundred.

Salt acknowledged the difficulty of finding more time in the schedule but noted the effect on his squad. He said the team imports the best stars in the game, including Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson, who have spent a lot of time on the bus in the last three days—a bus not built for players of that size. He would like more time between games but understands the schedule is already tight, adding he is not the person to solve it and would simply "magic another week of the year somewhere."

Welsh Fire return to action on Sunday at Headingley against Sunrisers Leeds before their final group game at home to London Spirit next Wednesday.