Cricket is evolving and rightly so. From 60 overs to 50 overs then came the era of T20s and T10s. And now comes the Hundred.
The 100 balls per innings concept popularly known as the "Hundred" is the new brain child of ECB.
Date: 21st July- 21st August.
As many as 8 franchise teams comprising of both Men's and Women's squads will feature in it. Another major aspect of the Hundred is both the men and women squads will face the same opponents in a single night which means each day will have a double-header.
The 8 Franchise Teams are:
1.BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX.
2. LONDON SPIRIT.
3. MANCHESTER ORIGINALS.
4. NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS.
5. WELSH FIRE.
6. OVAL INVINCIBLES.
7. SOUTHERN BRAVE.
8. TRENT ROCKETS.
Tournament Format:
The Hundred will have a league stage which will be played in a round robin format and then the playoffs.
League Stage:
A total of 32 matches will be played by the 8 league teams in the league stage. Each team will play 4 home matches and 4 away matches. This means that each side will play 1 match against each other side and then they will play a second bonus match against their nearest regional rivals.
Playoffs and Finals:
The top three teams in the points table will then compete in playoffs to decide the ultimate champion.
At first,the second and third placed times will compete in a semi-final, played at the Oval. The winner of the semi-final will meet the league table toppers at Lord's where the winner of the match will be crowned as champions.
Rules:
1.The "Hundred" as the name suggests will be a 100 balls per innings match. The side that scores the maximum runs wins.There will be 2 white Kookabura balls, one for each half.
2.There will be a change in ends after every 10 deliveries for the fielding side.
3.The Hundred will be technically a 10 overs match with each over comprising of 10 balls.Bowlers can deliver either 5 or 10 consecutive balls at a go. However, the maximum number of deliveries a bowler is allowed to bowl in a match is 20.
4. To maintain the gender-neutral ambition of the tournament, ECB has decided to introduce the term ‘batter’ will be used instead of ‘batsman’ or ‘batswoman’.
5. When a batter is caught, the new batter walking in will take the strike regardless of the non-striker crossing.
6. Each no-ball in the Hundred will carry a value of 2 runs along with a free-hit. ECB has borrowed the same rule that is applied in the T20 Blast.
Time-Out:
There will be a strategic time out of two and a half minutes for each bowling team in the Hundred. The coach and support staff will be allowed to be on the pitch during this duration.
However the timeout can't be taken during the first 25 balls of the match which is also the powerplay.
Power Play:
The Powerplay will be of 25 deliveries with a maximum of two fielders allowed outside of the initial 30-yard circle during the powerplay.
Game Length:
A match in the Hundred will be of two and a half hours, which includes 2 strategic time outs of 2 mins 30 seconds each and a mandatory 50 seconds break in between change of ends.
ECB has been very strict in this regard. Any team violating this will penalised for slow "over-rates". There will be a loss of one fielder outside the fielding circle from the point of transgression.
New Rules and Regulation:
The Hundred has decided to incorporate a new set of rules to make the game more engaging.
1.ECB has decided to do away with the toss on the ground. Instead the captains will flip the coin on the stage designed for the DJ and other live performers.
2. ECB has decided to use the term of "balls" instead of "overs" as the game will comprise of two innings with 100 balls in each inning. A White card will be shown by the umpires to signal the completion of a set of five deliveries and there will be a mandatory 50-second break at the change of ends every ten balls.
3. Decision Review System (DRS) is to be introduced for English domestic cricket for the first time. The 3rd umpire will be in full control of it as he will be provided with a fully equipped technical truck comprising of the Smart Replays and all the other technology related functions.
4. In the event of a rain-curtailed match, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method will be used but with a rejigged algorithm that will make calculations based on balls faced rather than overs bowled.
5. In case of a tied match, 1 point will be awarded to each team in the group stage. However in the knock-outs the match will be decided by a "super five" (5 balls instead of 6).
In case the first Super five ends in a tie there is also a provision for a second super five.If that too ends with scores level, victory will be awarded to the team that finished at a higher position in the group stage.
Squad Criteria:
1.All teams to have 15 member squads.
2.Maximum of three foreign players allowed per squad.
3.At least one England Test player will have to be signed by each of the eight men’s teams.
4.A maximum of 2 centrally contacted players can play for each team.
With all these exciting rules and regulations in place, we can expect that the "Hundred" will unveil a new chapter in the history of Franchise cricket.