English surfaces have not been particularly great during The Hundred, says Lewis Gregory

The kind of scores being produced in the ongoing edition of The Hundred has been met with considerable astonishment, particularly given the high-scoring spectacles witnessed in other franchise tournaments in the recent past. In contrast, The Hundred 2024 has experienced a marked decrease in average first-innings scores and a significant reduction in the number of totals exceeding 170, when compared to its previous iteration.

The Trent Rockets' skipper, Lewis Gregory, provided insights into this phenomenon, drawing upon his extensive T20 experience spanning 232 matches. As a seasoned all-rounder, he candidly addressed the factors contributing to the downturn in batting performances observed in this edition of the tournament. In his evaluation, Gregory identified the nature of the pitches and the behavior of the balls, particularly their aerodynamics, as principal factors hindering the uninterrupted strokeplay typically expected in such high-octane contests.

"I don't think the surfaces have been particularly great across the board. These balls do seem to swing a fraction more than the normal white Kookaburras that we use in the Blast. I just think the combination of that and some tired pitches at the back end of an English season has made it quite difficult for free-flowing striking," stated Gregory, as quoted by India Today.

Gregory further attributed the decline in high scores to the extensive cricket calendar in England over the summer, which included the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup, and the T20 Blast running concurrently with The Hundred. He elaborated that this congested schedule contributed to the deterioration of pitch conditions, making them more conducive to spin bowling. The prolonged use of these pitches led to them becoming sluggish and uneven, with the development of roughs and cracks, thus favoring spinners and impeding aggressive batting. 

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"You're seeing the ball get off straight a lot, which obviously makes it difficult to whack out of the park when the ball is moving around. There's a lot of cricket throughout the English summer and [we are] coming towards the back end. There are a few tired wickets that bring spinners into the game, and then there's a few wickets that have done a lot for the seamers," mentioned Gregory.

We've played on some better surfaces than we have this year: Gregory

Gregory, a steadfast member of the Trent Rockets since the inception of The Hundred, noted that the 2022 champions have previously competed on notably superior playing surfaces. 

"I'm not quite sure what the cause is, but we've played on some better surfaces than we have this year in the past," added Gregory.

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The Trent Rockets have endured a challenging phase in this campaign, having secured only one victory in their last five matches. The skipper, too, has struggled with form. To date, he has taken four wickets in 16.1 overs (each set comprising five deliveries), while accumulating 28 runs from 19 balls faced across four innings.