Good bye 'overs' - England Cricket Board (ECB) reveals playing conditions for The Hundred

The Hundred, the 100 ball format, is all set to begin from July 21. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s proposed new format was hit with several road blocks due to COVID-19 and other logistical reasons, but now it is all set and ready to make a grand debut.

Now, the ECB has come up with the playing conditions for The Hundred and it has tweaked the rules a bit for the 100-ball game. The ECB has called goodbye to ‘overs’, as the board has decided to stick from overs to balls, to measure the innings progression. While this rule will be followed by all eight teams, the TV commenters will use overs instead of balls during the matches.

Apart from this, two sets of five balls will be delivered by bowlers from the same end and by the same bowler if needed. After the completion of the first set of five, the umpire will signal with a white card to broadcasters, scorers, players, and crowds.

Playing conditions:

• Overs are shifted to ‘balls’
• Umpires will call ‘five’ at the end of a bowler’s set of balls. A white card will be held up by the umpire after the set of five
• Two sets of ‘five’ will be bowled from one end and even with the same bowler if needed
• First 25 balls of the innings will be a powerplay
• Fielding team can opt to take a two-minute strategic time-out after the initial 25 balls.
• Both teams will earn a point each in group stage’s tied matches. But in the eliminator and final, they will go to a ‘super five’
• Second super five will be played if the first super five is tied. If the second one is tied, the team that finished at a better place in group stage will win the contest

The tournament also features eight women’s teams and the matches will be played out simultaneously along with the men’s teams. The star attraction of players is also there, as a lot of foreign players and local superstars will turn out for all the eight teams. Chris Lynn, Carlos Brathwaite, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, and Devon Conway are the few foreign players among the mix.

Indian women players set to feature in The Hundred

Meanwhile, the Indian women team players such as Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur are all set to make their debuts in the Hundred.  While all these four players were given No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials to ECB, Shafali Verma is not given one.

These will be good exposure for the Indian players, as they will be able to rub shoulders with the best in the business.  Also, this experience will stand them in good stead going ahead. Apart from the Indian players, even South Africa’s players like the likes of Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon, and Mignon du Preez will feature in The Hundred.