England’s ‘the Hundred’ expected to feature 10-ball and five-ball overs

IN the history of cricket we’ve had everything from four-ball overs to eight-ball overs.

In 2020 we’re set for two firsts in ‘the Hundred’ — England’s planned new cricket format.

The Times’ Elizabeth Ammon reports the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is planning for the new format to be played with both 10-ball and five-ball overs.

Cricket has never had 10-ball overs and while five-ball overs have been used in the past, a match has never had variable over lengths.

In April the ECB announced plans for the fourth cricket format to be played domestically from 2020, with eight new teams to play 100-ball innings. That is 20 fewer deliveries than a Twenty20 innings and 40 over the course of a match, allowing games to be completed within two-and-a-half hours.

When the ECB announced the tournament, it had planned for each innings to consist of 15 six-ball overs with a singular 10-ball over. It was a formula that was met with derision by the country’s players’ association, which opposed the requirement for one player to bowl a 10-delivery over.

The ECB’s purported solution is the removal of traditional six-ball overs from the format. The Times reports that rather than innings being split over to over, they will be played in 10-ball segments with 10 deliveries bowled from one end before another 10 at the other.

Under this proposal, captains will have the choice of splitting each 10-delivery segment into two five-balls over or one 10-ball over bowled by one player. Each bowler will have an allotment of 20 deliveries for the match.

The new formula is still subject to consultation.

HOW IT WILL WORK

* Each innings is 100 deliveries, split by nine changes of end.

* Ten deliveries bowled from each end before switching to the other.

* Captain’s choice whether to split each 10-delivery between two bowlers (five-ball overs) or one bowler (10-ball over)

* Players to bowl a maximum of 20 deliveries.