The England & Wales Cricket Board confirmed that its new competition in '20 will be 100 balls a side, according to the BBC. The format will consist of ten 10-ball overs, which can be bowled by one or two bowlers, in clutches of either five or 10 consecutive balls. Trialed at Trent Bridge in September, it was introduced as part of a new ECB five-year strategy for the game. ECB CEO Tom Harrison said, "The strategy we have created will give the whole game clear priorities." The full strategy for '20-24 will be unveiled in January and is expected to include "a revamp of cricket at Minor Counties level" (BBC, 11/29).
ELIGIBILITY CHANGES: In London, Ali Martin reported Jofra Archer, the "highly-rated" Sussex County Cricket Club fast bowler who was born in Barbados but holds a British passport, will be eligible to play for England in next year's World Cup and Ashes campaigns after the ECB "changed its rules over eligibility." The 23-year-old, who has become "one of the most in-demand players on the Twenty20 circuit," was not due to qualify for England selection until '22, having been forced to serve a seven-year qualification period under the old regulations. This was due to Archer's arrival in the U.K., in '15, coming after his 18th birthday. But the ECB "tweaked its rules" so that British citizens, or those born in the U.K. but having emigrated at a young age, require "just three years of residency" to be picked, provided they have not played as a local in an overseas competition in that time (GUARDIAN, 11/28).
