Orange ball to debut in ECB’s new domestic competition 'The Hundred'

The T20 format has become a major hit across the world. The format has experienced huge turnouts across the world over the past few years. As a result, every country is coming up with its own franchise-based T20 league. The Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash League (BBL)  are two of the hallmark T20 competitions in the cricketing world. Recently, the England and Wales cricket board (ECB) came up with its own domestic completion which is termed as ‘The Hundred’.

The competition has been termed as ‘The Hundred’ because each innings will comprise only 100 balls, unlike the regular T20 format. The ECB is thinking of new ideas to promote the event and attract huge crowds. According to reports in Cricbuzz, ‘Orange’ ball could be used in the new domestic competition. The first edition of the tournament will be played in 2020.

The ECB conducted the trials of the newly framed competition two weeks ago by applying the new format for the tournament. It received a positive feedback from the players. Some of the new rules are 20 sets of 5-ball overs with ten bowled from one end, tactical timeout, batsman cross-over rule and fielding substitution. However, orange balls were not used in these trials but they are expected to be used in the near future.

2020 a revolutionary year for ECB

The belief is that the orange ball will not only give the format a unique slant when it comes around in 2020 but will also be easier to pick up from the stands. To set their new league apart from the rest played around the world, the boards are planning such an innovation.

It is not the first time that orange balls are being used in cricket as in the 1990s, orange and yellow balls were used for day-night Sheffield Shield matches in Australia. Later in 2013, Cricket Australia conducted several tests with the orange ball with a black seam.

The new set of innovations are definitely exciting for cricket fans. However, it remains to be seen if it gets a green signal from the players so that they can be implemented in the tournament. The year 2020 is going to be revolutionary for the ECB.

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