The duration of a game of cricket is set to shrink further with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) planning an even shorter format where two teams will face 100 balls in an innings.
Under the proposals, unanimously backed by the ECB, each side would face 15 six-ball overs, culminating in a final 10 deliveries – 20 balls shorter than traditional Twenty20 matches.
The latest format, which follows experiments with 40-, 50- and 60-over competitions, as well as four-day county championship matches and T20 contests, was presented to chairpersons and chief executives of the county clubs and the MCC on Thursday.
The competition is expected to take off in 2020.
“This is a fresh and exciting idea which will appeal to a younger audience and attract new fans to the game. 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,” said Tom Harrison, chief executive, ECB.
The ECB members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new city-based competition last year, with matches to be played in a five-week window in the middle of the summer.
Curtailing 20 balls per innings will ensure that the match is finished in a three-hour window.
However, the proposed 10-ball final over will require approval of game’s custodian MCC as Law 17.1 currently states: “The ball shall be bowled from each end alternately in overs of 6 balls.”
Sanjay Patel, the ECB’s chief commercial officer, and MD for the new competition, said, “The development team has had strong support and encouragement in its conversations to date and it's time to take the concept wider as we build the detail.”
Southampton, Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Cardiff and Nottingham have been selected as venues for the tournament, with Lord’s and the Oval each playing host to a London-based team.
The tournament will feature aligned competitions for both men's and women's teams sharing a common format, brands and team identities.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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