England Test captain Joe Root’s grandfather Don Root has criticized cricket’s newest innovation, The Hundred. Don compared the format to COVID-19 virus and said that these innovations are killing Test cricket in England. 

"The Hundred is among us. So is Covid and it's just about as welcome. We are constantly being lectured about the necessity to attract more funding to spread the gospel and nourish the grassroots of cricket," Don Root wrote in a letter to Cricketer Magazine. 

"Apparently this can only be done by an increase in some form of the white-ball version of the game. At what cost to the red-ball version? Onwards and downwards would appear to be the new ECB mantra. The results of this policy can be seen in the Test series,” he added. 

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He added that there is unevenness between red-ball cricket and white-ball cricket in the country. 

"Of course, every sport needs sound financial resourcing, but do we have the balance right at the moment between financial needs and performance on the field? As far as red-ball cricket is concerned, I think not,” he said. 

Joe Root scored three centuries in four matches in the recent Test series against India. His team, however, trailed 2-1 before an abrupt stop to the series because of COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp. 

(With IANS inputs)