“It feels like cricket” said Worcestershire opening batsman and PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell of the ECB’s ‘The Hundred’ trials between The North and The South, which took place at the beginning of this week. So what’s new?
Forget the number six (apart from for sixes) fives and 10s are the key now
One innovation was to have balls bowled in blocks of five or 10, with changes of ends every 10 balls, and bowlers able to bowl a set of 10 balls across both ends.
The Powerplay still exists
It just wouldn’t be cricket without the fielding restrictions arbitrarily changing partway through an innings, and it looks like the first 20 balls will see only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Good thing too – you wouldn’t want batsman playing boringly, keeping wickets in hand for the final 10. Balls that is.
There are strategic timeouts
None of this could happen
Yep, sorry to disappoint if you’ve read this far, but nothing is set in stone, and everything could change by the time the competition starts. Reports on CricBuzz even suggest orange Dukes balls could be used, and that free-hits might be awarded for wides as well as no-balls.
There has however been cautious optimism on behalf of some of the players. “”These trial games are just to see where we’re at,” said The North captain Samit Patel. “I’m sure there will be different rules and regulations that may come into it but, for this bit, I think it’s been pretty good.”
Maybe we should all just hold off on judging until we truly know what we’re dealing with.
