Cricket news - ECB announce playing conditions for 'The Hundred'

The ECB have announced the playing conditions for The Hundred, the new eight-team city based tournament which is set to begin next summer.

The format will consist of 100 balls per innings with a change of end after every ten deliveries. Bowlers will be able to bowl either five or ten consecutive deliveries, up to a maximum of 20 balls per innings. There will be a 25-ball powerplay at the start of each batting innings - two fielders will be allowed outside the 30 yard circle during this time - and each bowling side will get a strategic timeout of two and a half minutes.

The playing conditions were proposed by the ECB's Cricket Committee and ratified by the ECB Board late last year. They were then put in front of the 18 first-class counties who voted on whether to accept the proposed format. The final vote was received this week and the format was ratified with seventeen counties in favour and one against.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, said: "This is a significant step, with overwhelming support for The Hundred. Over the last three years we have worked closely with the whole game to create an important opportunity for the whole game.

"This new competition has already helped to secure vital new partnerships and substantial broadcast revenues and it will help us to meet the ambitions of our game-wide strategy for 2020-24. The Hundred will help cricket to reach more people. We remain totally committed to the existing, popular forms of cricket and will be committing significant funds and focus to all levels of the game, protecting and nurturing the core whilst reaching out to a wider audience."

The next phase in the implementation of The Hundred will be to confirm the identities of the teams, including the names and kit colours, and put in place arrangements for the player draft which is expected to take place in the autumn. The make-up of the coaching groups for the five week tournament is also still to be decided.

Last year, the ECB announced the eight host venues for the competition would be The Oval, Lord's, Cardiff, Old Trafford, Headingley, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and the Ageas Bowl, but reports in The Times on Tuesday (February 20) suggested that Surrey may have their place rescinded because of their general opposition to a new fourth tournament.

The reports suggested that ECB Chairman Colin Graves has tabled a motion to remove The Oval as one of the host venues in favour of a county who supports The Hundred. Bristol or Durham would be the most likely venues should this become reality but given The Oval has the biggest capacity of any ground in the country, removing it from the schedule does not make much commercial sense.