White card in the hundred: What does the white card mean in The Hundred?

White card in the hundred: The on-field was seen flashing a white card after bowlers completed their set of five deliveries.

The first match of the ongoing second season of ‘The Hundred’ is underway, with the defending champions Southern Brave having won the Toss and elected to bowl first against the Welsh Fire at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.

The Welsh Fire were off to a poor start as they lost their opener batter Joe Clarke for a Duck on only the fourth delivery of the innings bowled by the Braves’ all-rounder Craig Overton.

However, the fans were in for some head scratches, when they saw the on-field umpire flash a White card after Overton bowled his initial set of five deliveries in the innings, post which the right-arm pacer Michael Hogan was handed the ball to bowl the next five deliveries.

White card in the hundred

As per the playing conditions of ‘The Hundred’, since the first season last year, the main umpire is supposed to flash a white card to signal the completion of a set of five deliveries and the mandatory 50-second breaks at the change of ends every ten balls.

For those unaware, instead of a six-ball Over which marks the change of ends, this format allows a change of ends only after 10 balls, with each bowler allowed to bowl either five or ten consecutive deliveries.

Thus, as a signal to mark the change of a bowler (after five or ten balls) to the players, scorers, broadcasters and crowds, the umpire flashes a white card after each such occasion during both the innings.

Moreover, with the concept of an ‘Over’ not a thing in this particular format, the umpire will call ‘five’ instead of ‘over’ at the completion of a bowler’s set of deliveries.