THE HUNDRED – A BOWLERS’ COMPETITION? | THE PREVIEW

Analysing ‘The Hundred’ | The Playing conditions, the possible strategies and the recipes to success while answering one question – Is it a bowlers’ competition?

The Hundred – hundred balls per innings, 2 innings per match and the first ever series to consist of 34 matches for the Men and 34 matches for the women. But what is it? What can be witnessed and what are the possibilities? Analysing the brand new format, the series, the teams and the possible strategies. From ball one to ball hundred and the rest of the innings, everything is covered.

This isn’t the first time that a new format has been introduced, and neither is it the first format that changes the basics of cricket, played traditionally. From the quirky format introduced in New Zealand in the early 2000s to the 3 Team Cricket format introduced recently in 2019. T20 in itself was a very new format and idea of playing cricket when it was first introduced but it did not challenge the basics of cricket but the other two and The Hundred have done so! The Hundred has even changed the concept of over! What is special, what is different, and what is the scope?

THE HUNDRED – WHAT?

Well, the series ‘The Hundred’ is the franchise based cricket league, similar to the Vitality Blast, the IPL, and other such leagues. It is the league in which the brand new format introduced by ECB will be played for the first time ever. It was scheduled to first be played in 2019 but was then delayed till 2021, when it is finally taking place in a window of 5 months, while clashing with other international series which does mean that at times the major players will not be available, as they will be out for their national team duties.

It takes cricket away from the concept of overs, a bit or in a way, and changes the way cricket is played. The playing conditions, i.e. the rules of the game, were released by the ECB and it raised one question upon in-depth analysis – is this is a bowlers’ game. A game that will have more in the hands of the fielding side? Advantage – Bowlers? You might ask why is that? Well, in order to understand that the playing conditions, possible strategies and more needs to be understood. So Let’s go!

THE HUNDRED – A BOWLERS’ FORMAT?

Firstly, what is a bowler’s game? A bowler’s format rather! Well, as the name should suggest, it is a format which favours the bowlers or the fielding side not just more, but considerably more than it does the batters, or the batting side.

THE PLAYING CONDITIONS

• Instead of overs, number of balls will be used to measure progression of innings. (100 balls per innings, an over as such will be a set of 5 balls)
• The powerplay will be the first 25 balls of the innings (when a 100 ball innings is scheduled to be played)
• A bowler can ball a maximum of 20 balls (4 overs of 5 balls each) in an innings
• A bowler can bowl upto two consecutive overs, i.e., 10 consecutive balls (A bowler can bowl either 5 or 10 consecutive bowls based on the decision taken by the fielding side, as long as it means that the bowler does not exceed the 20 ball limit)
• Bowling ends will change upon the completion of 2 sets of 5 balls each, i.e. upon 10 overs being bowled, these 10 balls can either be bowled by just one bowler, or two bowlers bowling 5 consecutive balls each, as desired by the fielding side.
• At then end of every set of 5 balls, the Umpires will call “five” while holding up a white card to signal the end of one set of 5 balls.
• In the event that the striker is caught out, the non – striker shall return back to the non – striker end, even if the two have crossed.
• An amended/ modified Duckworth – Lewis Stern system will be used in matches interrupted/shortened due to the weather conditions.
• The fielding side can, not under obligation to, take a two minute strategic timeout, anytime through the match, after the first 25 balls of the innings.
• In the event that a match is tied, in the group stage, it will end as a tie with both sides being awarded a point each, but in the eliminator an the final, the match will go to a Super Five (adaptation of a Super Over, with there being 5 balls per over in this format).
• A maximum of two Super Fives can be played (a second one being played in the event that the first Super Five also ends in a tie). If the second Super Five also ends in a tie, the team that finished higher in the Group Stage will be awarded the victory.
• There will be a penalty in place for a slow over – rate. The fielding side will be required to field with one fewer player outside the circle, from the point of time that the penalty is incurred.

There are some big changes in the format, some good, some not so good, and some maybe even bad. A closer look at some of these reveal layers of ways in how they might change a match. Because they have affects on different levels.

NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE DELIVERIES BY A BOWLER

Each over will be a set of 5 balls, and bowling ends will change every 10 balls. This in itself opens a new foray wherein the batter will have to face atleast one bowler from the same end for upto 10 balls. This means that in the case, a batter is not playing well, and is also unable to rotate strike, that batter will not be relieved till upto 10 balls. What adds to this is that 10 balls means 2 overs, which can be bowled by two different bowlers. This means facing two different bowlers, who can be very different to each other from the very same end. This might benefit some who understand the pitch well but it may also disadvantage some.

But the more explicit layer, and the bigger impact lies in the fact that allows the fielding side to decide how things happen. A bowler can even bowl two consecutive overs from the same end, or even from two different ends. How? Well the second one can happen if the bowler starts bowling when one over is left till change of ends and goes on to bowl 10 consecutive legitimate deliveries, 5 from one end and 5 from the other. Plus this decision lies with the fielding side and can be decided on spot that if the bowler will bowl 5 or 10 consecutive balls. The batting side has more to adjust to, especially when, the aim will be to keep striking the ball well every ball. Plus, instead of 6 balls, a bowler bowling a bad spell, only has to bowl a maximum of 5 balls. A bowler can bowl from two different sides without a gap of 2 overs in between. The fielding side can decide on whether to keep the bowler based on the outcome of the final bowl of the over as well, and in cases such as one wherein a new batter will be on strike, this could fall in the fielding side’s favour.

At the death, your bowler can bowl the final 10 deliveries if they wish and have not bowled more than 10 balls previously. You bowler can bowl 20 balls, with a break of just 5 balls in between if that is the plan. MORE ON THIS IN STRATEGY!

NON – STRIKER HAVING TO RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL END

Generally, in the Test, 50 over, 20 over and even the 10 over and the 3TC format, in the scenario that the striker hits the ball, and is caught and before the ball was caught, the non – striker and the striker cross each other once while running between the wickets, i.e. the non – striker running towards the striker’s end and crosses the striker, the non – striker goes to the striker’s end and becomes the striker for the next ball (if it wasn’t the last ball of the over). In ‘The Hundred’, the non – striker irrespective of if they have crossed or not, has to return the original end, i.e. the bowling end when that ball was bowled. In the event that the bowling ends change for the next ball, that batter becomes the striker, otherwise the new player in becomes the striker. This also benefits the bowler generally. Would you prefer bowling to a set batter, or to a batter new to the crease who does not know about the pitch behavior much, and has not gotten any chance to settle in. Generally, a bowler would like to bowl to the new batter in as this increases the chance of another dismissal, or even more dot balls in that over.

This takes away that one rule that favoured the batting side a bit, and not only is it taken away, this new rule now favours the bowler as the bowler gets to bowl to a new batter in the middle. This becomes especially crucial when bowling to tail enders. You may have the set batter, someone who came in when the second wicket fell, and has settled well and is scoring well as well, but the bowler is bowling to a tail ender, who has come in just after the 8th wicket fell on the previous ball. Even if a dismissal does not take place, there is a higher chance of a single or a dot ball than a boundary.

SLOW OVER RATE PENALTY

This is a balanced one which tilts a bit towards the batting side. If this one is strictly maintained, it will hard to avoid this penalty for any team as over rates have been slipping drastically. Teams are hardly able to fit 20 overs within the stipulated time and even though there are 20 less balls, the time allotted also decreases with that. There is also a minimum time between bowling end changes of about 50 seconds. If the bowling team tries to fit in enough overs, they might bowl at a faster pace which is a slight disadvantage to both sides, especially the batting side. But there is a good chance that they might have a slow over – rate and be penalised which makes it like a powerplay fo sorts for the batting side, that also in the death overs, This is what they would need. This might not be the easiest or least dsputed rule to enforce but if done properly can maybe solve the over – rate issue and maybe just help the batting side a bit more.

THE SUPER FIVE RULE

It is simple the Super Over, but the rule to focus on is that a second Super Five will be played, if conditions permit, if the first Super Five is tied. But the rule which does not allow more than 2 is a bit weird, even if the time allows. This means that the winner of ‘The Hundred’ could be decided who finished higher in the group stage which is a bit unfair considering the way the fixtures have been fixed. This can maybe be relooked at.

THE FIXTURES

Each team will play the other 7 teams atleast once, and then will play one team one more time. Each team will have 1 match against every other team, except the team located closest to them geographically, who they will play 2 matches against.

Now this is a bit unfair. Some teams might have very strong neighbors whereas some may have weak neighbor teams. And this will not only affect the normal Group Stage but might also play a role in the Eliminator and the Final. For example if there are 4 team – A, B, C, & D. B is the strongest and closest to A, whereas A is the weakest. C and D are the closest to each other and are almost equally good. B has an advantage over the rest of them as even 1 match win matters a lot. And this makes it just that bit unfair.

STRATEGIES

Some have already been discussed in brief and some depend from team to team but what are some general strategies? They are some very interesting ones.

THE BOWLER WHO IS IN IT TO WIN IT

It could be a spinner or a fast bowler, the bowler who suits the condition best and is the most effective against the opposition. Keep his 10 balls in the bank till then end, and around the time when there will be 20 balls left, unleash his performance. 10 consecutive balls. The death will be crucial to manipulate by keeping the best bowler, and making him bowl 10 consecutive balls, if he is effective is better than two sets of 5. If it is a bowler like Ecclestone, in the Women’s game, who is holding it up beautifully, introduce her when 20 balls are remaining, and let her bowl 10 consecutive balls. Fast bowlers can be introduced even later when just 15 balls are remaining, as they can bowl more comfortably from both ends. Over distribution is even more key with such a rule and the bowlers who can hold up one end, need to be capitalized upon because you build more pressure by a long streak of not allowing to score properly, and not by allowing them to play out an over and hit in the next, and play out another and hit in the next. More the pressure build up, higher the chances of the batting side making mistakes.

THE RUNNING THAT MATTERS

The Powerplay lasts 25 balls or a quarter of the whole innings, and is equal to 5 overs. It is an over less than what you get in a normal T20 game, and is the only time when the game is there with batting side. Rest of the time, the bowling side has more of an advantage. The batting side should focus more on scoring runs in the final balls of every set of 5 (when you wish for a change in bowling or the opposite otherwise), and keep changings strike every ball before that if possible. Why? It is crucial to unsettle the bowler in the final few balls so that you get a bowling change as and when you need, and even if the bowler does not change, this will give the batting side a good momentum going into the next set of 5. Or if you want to keep that bowler for 10 straght balls, how about scoring at the start then staying quiet, and then going all out in the next set of 5. It is crucial to time when the runs are being hit in order to manipulate when bowling changes happen, just that bit. It will have a more pronounced effect than it does in other formats. Those 10 ball stints can even benefit the batting side if done by the wrong bowler (from the fielding side’s perspective).

THE END OF THE POWERPLAY AND START OF THE STRATEGIES

One another crucial period when the bowling strategy matters is the final 5 balls of the Powerplay and the first five balls of the Non – Powerplay overs. You could maybe have one bowler bowl it, which can help you get the batters carried away and get some wickets in that crucial phase. You need a bowler who has a very accurate control of the deliveries. A spinner like Moeen Ali can do that job very beautifully in the Men’s game.

SO IS THIS IS A BOWLERS’ GAME? A BOWLERS’ FORMAT? A BOWLERS’ LEAGUE?

Well, it does seem so. From the playing conditions laid out to the possible strategies and scenarios it develops. This is a game which will present good knocks, but has given the fielding side an upper hand which is now upto them to utilize well.

THE RECIPE TO SUCCESS

The recipe to success is having only the best of hitters, i.e. the people who can not only power hit but also time, and bowlers who have good control and accuracy and each team fits the criteria in a different manner.

Some teams such as the Manchester Originals Women’s team have a lot of good and hard hitters and bowlers like Kate Cross, as well some teams do also have all rounders like Nat Sciver, and this is where they can steal the game. They have the perfect combination of power hitters and accurate hitters and bowlers. The more all – rounder you have the better it always is in every format, especially the shorter ones as it allows you to have more batting depth while not compromising the bowling.

All in all, it is a format worth trying but the results are unknown.

|A BRAND NEW SERIES OF UNKNOWN AWAITS|