Players in test runs of 100-ball game format

Board assesses how its concept will play out in trial and error matches

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s controversial 100-ball format was road tested in front of the media at Trent Bridge yesterday.

Six pilot days have been arranged this month and players from a number of different counties were invited to take part in trial-and-error matches as the ECB looks to gain a clearer idea of how the tentatively titled “The Hundred” will work.

Here, we look at the key questions from the day:

What was being trialled?

Two pilot days in Loughborough and one at Trent Bridge have already been conducted but, yesterday, the media were given an insight into how the new tournament set to launch in the summer of 2020 may look as two matches – both “North” v “South” – were played. Rumours of five-ball overs and a change of ends after every 10 deliveries have prompted outcry in some quarters and both proposals were in operation here. Bowlers, meanwhile, could send down 10 uninterrupted deliveries that was unrestricted by the change of ends. There was some tinkering with powerplays, substitute fielders and strategic timeouts, available to the fielding captain, that lasted up to two and a half minutes and saw coaches allowed to come on to the field of play.

So, this is how the new format will look?

No, nothing is set in stone as the ECB is very much in the process of finetuning its brainchild and is eager to gain feedback from the players involved in these test events.

How did the matches go?

The ‘North’ won both fixtures, by nine runs and six wickets respectively, and although the results were irrelevant, it was interesting to notice what impact the strategic timeout had on the first game. Set a victory target of 138, the “South” looked to be cruising on 66 for no wicket after 25 balls. Samit Patel called a halt to proceedings and on the resumption, the South quickly subsided to 128 all out.

Which players turned out? Former England all-rounder Patel was arguably the most high-profile player involved while Worcestershire’s Daryl Mitchell, chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, featured in the second match. Billy Root, brother of England Test captain Joe, was in attendance but the majority of those involved were second XI players. It was reported the ECB had hoped to include England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan and batsman Alex Hales but neither man was available.

Were there any teething problems? There has been much consternation and puzzlement since the ECB announced its new flagship Twenty20 competition would in fact be an entirely separate format but there seemed to be few, if any, setbacks yesterday. Both Patel and Mitchell offered cautious optimism about the concept.

Both Patel and Mitchell offered cautious optimism about the concept