The Hunded: Why ECB dropped controversial white balls
What's the story
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently decided to drop the controversial white Kookaburra balls used in The Hundred. The decision comes after receiving a negative feedback from players over the uneven contest. The balls were blamed for low scoring rates in last year's Men's Hundred tournament. As per ESPNcricinfo, the scoring rate had dipped to just 1.37 runs per ball, lower than other short-form leagues like the IPL and SA20.
Player feedback
Players' scathing remarks about the balls
The branded balls, which had a large 'H' logo imprinted on them, were criticized by players. They claimed that these balls had extra lacquer and felt 'plasticky.' Moeen Ali, a prominent player in the tournament, had said "The seam seems to be massive." He also noted that "Every game, it seems the ball is nipping. Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games."
Ball specifications
Kookaburra's defense and study findings
In defense of those branded balls, Kookaburra claimed that they were made with "identical specifications" as the white balls used in other domestic and international cricket. The ECB also conducted an extensive study over the matter, which couldn't differentiate between the ball used in The Hundred and other limited-overs fixtures in England and Wales. Despite the findings of their study, the ECB has decided to ditch the branded balls.
Change in strategy
What next for the ECB?
The Hundred is finally having the same balls used in the T20 Blast for the 2025 season. However, it remains to be seen if this strategy will work as intended. The opening encounter of 2025 Men's Hundred tunred out to be low-scoring. London Spirit perished for 80 against Oval Invincibles. Rashid Khan and Sam Curran took two wickets each.