The Professional Cricketers’ Association has warned that The Hundred will not go ahead without the players on board as concerns over its quirky format, the move away from Twenty20 and the impact on women’s cricket rumble on.

Representatives from the players’ union met the England and Wales Cricket Board at Edgbaston on Tuesday to discuss the quickfire 100-ball format. It will start in 2020 and feature two-and-a-half-hour matches played by eight city teams at the height of summer.

ECB plans to allow Hundred teams to reserve local star players Read more

Daryl Mitchell, the PCA chairman, left the meeting with Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, and Sanjay Patel, the tournament’s managing director, assured that, despite some past secrecy, the views of the country’s 420 professional players will be central to its creation.

“[The ECB] are very keen to stress that it is still a concept,” said Mitchell, who was one of only three players consulted before The Hundred was announced last month. “It is not set in stone, it is still a concept and an idea – but one they are very keen on.”

Asked what it would take for the 100-ball format not to go ahead, Mitchell said: “Judging by the information about other stakeholders, probably the players saying they don’t want it. We have the power to do that but whether it does happen or not, I’m not sure.

“There is no competition without any players, is there? As a union, we would have to feel very strongly to go completely against it.”

Though Mitchell insisted the PCA would remain “open-minded”, he outlined issues regarding a lack of detail over the playing regulations – chiefly the 10-ball over – and disappointment that despite the continuation of the 18-county Blast, the new tournament will not be Twenty20.

The ECB told the meeting the move to a 100-ball innings was not down to broadcast demands but market research that, despite not being shared on the day, shows the desired “new audience” want a shorter game that is more family-friendly.

“Another concern is the Test players like Joe Root and Ben Stokes. They’ll be allocated to a team for marketing purposes but won’t be playing,” Mitchell said. “The point was made [by the ECB] that this new audience won’t necessarily know who Stokes and Root are anyway.”

The PCA representatives, who included players from all 18 counties, plus Tammy Beaumont and Jonny Bairstow from the England women and men’s teams, told the ECB they do not want the County Championship to be played at the same time as the new tournament. Mitchell said the championship remains “the pinnacle” of the domestic game for the players.

The Spin: sign up for our weekly cricket email.

The women’s version of The Hundred will, unlike the men’s game, result in the Kia Super League being replaced and thus not mirror the international game. Mitchell said: “There’s no getting away from that, they need to be playing T20 cricket.”

An ECB spokesperson said: “Players are the core of the game and we look forward to further discussions as we continue to develop the competition.”