In one of the most astonishing cricketing news of the year so far, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a new “100-ball” domestic tournament to replace the existing t20 format in order to “re-invent the game”.
The new competition will include innings consisting of 15 six-ball overs and a final 10-ball over, it is expected to be completed within 3 hours.
The revolutionary concept will comprise of total 16.4 overs per side, with last over consisting of 10 deliveries, meaning the format will be even shorter than Twenty20.
“This is a fresh and exciting idea which will appeal to a younger audience and attract new fans to the game,” said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive officer Tom Harrison.
“Throughout its development, we have shown leadership, provided challenge and followed a process. We will continue to do that as the concept evolves. Our game has a history of innovation and we have a duty to look for future growth for the health and sustainability of the whole game,” Tom Harrison.
Venues like Lord”s, The Oval, Ageas Bowl, Edgbaston, Headingley, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge will play host the 100-ball matches, which is expected to be in in the summer of 2020 and run for five weeks.
The competition will run alongside T20 Blast, which is not expected to be affected by the new tournament.The BBC and Sky Sports will broadcast live TV coverage of the new men”s and women”s domestic tournament each summer in the UK from 2020 to 2024 while SONY is expected to broadcast it in the Indian subcontinent.
The New competition is believed to bring fresh new ideas and approach to shorter format cricket. ECB thinks that the new concept will help to appeal to families and a more diverse and younger audience and provide them with a cutting edge differentiation from existing t20 leagues around the world.
