Many players feel that the 2024 edition of The Hundred’s exceptionally low score was caused by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) contentious introduction of white Kookaburra balls. Players widely criticised the decision, pointing to the ball’s erratic nature and effect on run rates.
The scoring rate in the men’s competition fell to 1.37 runs per ball, which is much less than in other short-format leagues like the Major League Cricket (MLC), Indian Premier League (IPL), and SA20, even though the format of The Hundred should encourage more aggressive batting.
Under these circumstances, bowlers like Tim Southee and Daniel Worrall greatly benefited. Players conjectured that the problem was with the particular batch of balls, which had a big “H” logo that needed more lacquer. According to reports, this made the ball feel “plasticky,” which affected how it came off the bat and made stroke play more challenging.
“The seam appears to be very large. The ball seems to be nibbling in every game. According to ESPNcricinfo, Moeen Ali informed the cricketer, “Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games.”
With the exception of the event’s emblem, Kookaburra, the ball’s manufacturer, insisted that the white balls used in the 2024 tournament were produced in accordance with the same standards as those used in previous national and international championships. There was little indication that the balls behaved any differently than those used in earlier white-ball formats in England and Wales, according to a thorough study that the ECB commissioned over the winter.
Ball-tracking data did, however, show a discernible rise in seam movement and swing in the early going of 2023 games, which persisted into 2024. Rather than any intrinsic changes in the ball’s design, analysts largely blamed this tendency on outside variables like weather, pitch conditions, and the format itself, which allows bowlers to deliver 15 of the first 20 balls in an innings.
Ordinary, unbranded balls were chosen.
Notwithstanding the conclusions, the ECB has chosen to abandon the branded “Hundred” balls and switch to the regular batch used in the T20 Blast starting in 2025. The board made the decision in response to players’ persistently unfavourable criticism, thinking that the modification will not only address ball behaviour issues but also increase scoring rates by lessening bowlers’ perceived advantages.
However, in the first game of the 2025 season, the change had minimal effect. On a slow, low pitch, Oval Invincibles bowled out London Spirit for just 80 runs. The two-time reigning champions’ standout leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who finished with outstanding figures of 3 for 11, acknowledged that the pitch was challenging to bat on.
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