Reports: Orange balls could debut at 'The Hundred'

What’s the story?

According to reports in Cricbuzz, ‘Orange’ balls could be used in upcoming England and Wales Cricket Board's new domestic competition, ‘The Hundred’. In a bid to attract huge crowds, England and Wales Cricket Board are thinking of such a new idea to promote their unique event.

In case you didn’t know…

‘The Hundred’ is a new limited-overs competition formulated by the England and Wales Cricket Board. In order to cope up with the T20 leagues like Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League (BBL), the boards have designed a new league comprising 100-balls per innings. The first edition of the tournament will be played in 2020.

The heart of the matter

The trials of the newly framed competition were conducted two weeks ago with positive feedback from the players involved in the game. The games were played with a new set of rules like 20 sets of 5-ball overs with ten bowled from one end, tactical timeout, batsman cross-over rule, and fielding substitution.

Though the orange ball was not used in those games, the boards are thinking of using it in the future trials. To set their new league apart from the rest of the leagues played around the world, the boards are planning such an innovation.

It is not the first time that orange balls are considered for a cricket match. Earlier in the 1990s, orange and yellow balls were used for day-night Sheffield Shield (Australia’s domestic First-Class tournament) matches. Later in 2013, Cricket Australia conducted several tests with the orange ball with a black seam.

What’s next?

All these new rules and innovations are attractive and promising at this stage. However, there are plenty of trials to get underway before these new ideas reach the audience. On the whole, 2020 can be a game-changing year for England and Wales Cricket Board.