100-ball cricket

100-ball cricket was first proposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September 2016, following discussions between the 18 first-class counties, the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with a vote of 16-3 in favour of the format.[2]

The more detailed proposal was presented by the ECB to the chair and chief executives of the first-class counties and the MCC on 19 April 2018, and was unanimously supported by the board of the new competition.[3][4]

In July 2018, the ECB appointed Trent Woodhill as a consultant for the new format of the game.[5] Eight 'city-based' teams will compete, comprising 90 players recruited under a draft selection process (similar to the Indian Premier League).[6] The current counties will each receive a guaranteed £1.3m each per year from the competition’s revenues, partly from making their grounds available, and do not seem to have objected to the structure.[3]

In November 2018, the Warwickshire Cricket Board and Warwickshire County Cricket Club launched the 100-ball format club level tournament, which is designed to revitalise Sunday cricket at clubs across the Midlands. Called the Warwickshire Sunday Smash, the 16 team tournament is split into three divisions, with each side playing each team both home and away, throughout June and July. The teams include Solihull Blossomfield Cricket Club, Knowle & Dorridge, Sutton Coldfield, Bedworth, Alcester & Ragley, Stratford upon Avon, Water Orton, Four Oaks Saints, Moseley Ashfield and Aston Manor, who are all members of the Midlands Club Cricket Conference. The winners of each league and the best second place progressing to the Semi-Finals Day. The Finals Day took place on 1 September 2019 at Edgbaston. Stratford Upon Avon beat Knowle & Dorridge to win the first 100 ball competition in the U.K.[7]

In February 2019, the ECB announced revised playing conditions, which will contain 10 ten-ball overs, i.e. a change of ends after ten balls. A bowler will be delivering five or 10 consecutive balls. A bowler would deliver a maximum of 20 balls per innings. Power-play conditions were also announced.[8]

Shropshire County Cricket Club introduced the Swancote Energy Smash, which began in June 2019. It is a six-team tournament that has been divided into two groups, with games being played every Thursday night. The winners of each group is due to play in the inaugural final in early September 2019.[9] The six teams are Shifnal, Claverley, Worfield, Bridgnorth, Chelmarsh and Wombourne.

100-ball cricket is a form of limited overs cricket, played by two teams each playing a single innings made up of 100 balls.[10]

The format of the game is:

• 100 balls per innings[11]
• A change of ends after 10 balls[11]
• Bowlers deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls[11]
• Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per game[11]
• Each bowling side gets a strategic timeout of up to two and a half minutes[11]
• A 25-ball powerplay start for each team[11]
• Two fielders are allowed outside of the initial 30-yard circle during the powerplay[11]
• Teams will be able to call timeouts, as has been the case in the Indian Premier League since 2009[12]
• A simplified scoreboard is also proposed[6]

Some experts have stated that proposals for the new format outlined by the ECB are, at worst, nothing more than a small step further down "that alley",[13] whereas others are appreciating it as a brilliant innovation.

England's current Test captain, Joe Root, welcomed the ECB's plans for its new-team format in 2020. According to Root, it will attract a completely new audience.[14] ODI and T20 captain, Eoin Morgan, had a similar opinion about this format.[15] Former T20 captain Stuart Broad said he was hugely optimistic about the new format.[16] Michael Vaughan also echoed with Broad and stated that it will be a more appealing concept to broadcasters. Michael Atherton shared that a T20 match was to be completed in a 3-hour window and this can be achieved with the proposed format.

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was bemused on this move, asking why the England and Wales Cricket Board is trying something different when the current format is already so successful.[17] Current limited overs specialists Dawid Malan and Mark Wood shared that in spite of the new format, T20s will still remain as the preference.[18]

Former MCC chief Keith Bradshaw called the 100-ball tournament an innovation for innovation's sake, reasoning that the main reason behind this thought process is that the ECB couldn't exploit the T20 boom.[19] The England and Wales Professional Cricketers' Association shared that, overall, players were open to this new idea.[20]

India captain Virat Kohli raised a few concerns about the commercialisation of cricket and was not entirely in favour of this new format.[21]

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has no plans to tinker with its existing Big Bash League.[22] It also shared a concern that the introduction of shorter formats is further ignoring Test cricket.[23]

• Vithushan Ehantharajah: Orange ball at The Hundred? CricBuzz, 20 September 2018
• George Dobell: India players unlikely to feature in The Hundred, admits Tom Harrison ESPN Cricinfo, 21 February 2019