Revolutionizing the conventional format for cricket, the England cricket board (ECB) outlined the playing conditions for The Hundred, ahead of its launch on July 21.
One of the key features of the new competition is the move from “overs” to “balls” as the fundamental unit by which the contest is measured, ESPNcricinfo said.
In the playing conditions that have now been finalized by the English officials, umpires will call ‘five’ at the end of a bowler’s set of deliveries. With two sets of five being bowled from each end before changing, a white card will be held up after the first set of five.
There will also be a mandatory 50-second break at the change of ends.
Besides, the powerplay will be after the first 25 balls of a 100-ball innings and the fielding team can take a two-minute strategic timeout at any point after the first 25 balls, it is being said.
Have a look at more interesting rules of The Hundred here:
ESPN’s report says that due to the embedded use of ‘overs’ in the cricket lexicon, the ECB have conceded the term will continue to be used in scorecards and match reports.
Other changes include a tweak to the toss regulations, which will not require the captains to perform that duty out in the middle – it is likely to take place on the stage set aside for the DJs and other live entertainment at each venue. The Decision Review System (DRS) is to be introduced for English domestic cricket for the first time.
Reports said that despite the obvious differences between 20-over and 100-ball games, all statistics will be added to existing T20 data.
About The Hundred
The inaugural season of England’s new-look competition, which it’s hoped will encourage a whole new audience to the game, was meant to be held last year but was scrapped due to the outbreak of the COVID-19. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments of The Hundred will run concurrently and start on July 21.
Eight teams, of men’s and women’s team each, were confirmed by the ECB. They are: Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, London Spirit, Oval Invincible and Southern Brave.
Indian women team players Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur are all set to make their debuts in The Hundred.