Trent Rockets captain Lewis Gregory blames "tired" pitches for low scores in The Hundred

The ongoing men's Hundred tournament has seen a significant drop in scoring totals compared to previous seasons. Trent Rockets captain Lewis Gregory has pointed to "tired" pitches as the primary cause for this decline, as teams struggle to post high scores on challenging surfaces. Gregory's comments come after his team's recent loss to Birmingham Phoenix, where they were bowled out for just 118 runs.

Decline in first-innings totals

This season's average first-innings total has slumped to 133, a stark contrast to last season's 155. In 2022, there were 14 instances of teams scoring 170 or more, but so far in 2023, there has only been one such occurrence. While some players, including Liam Livingstone, have blamed the ball—citing the extra lacquer required for branding as a potential issue—Gregory believes the real culprit lies in the state of the pitches.

"I don't think the surfaces have been particularly great across the board," he told the media. "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."

Weather challenges and "tired" pitches

The Hundred is being held at the same eight venues as last season, but the unusually high rainfall in the UK this year has made it difficult for groundstaff to maintain optimal pitch conditions. This has led to the pitches becoming "tired," according to Gregory. He acknowledged that while they have played on better surfaces in the past, this year's weather has taken a toll on the quality of the pitches.

"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," Gregory said. "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."

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Trent Rockets' recent defeat to Birmingham Phoenix highlighted these challenges, as they were bowled out for 118, with Birmingham comfortably chasing the target with seven balls to spare and six wickets in hand. Gregory's comments underscore the impact of pitch conditions on the quality of play in this year's tournament.