Budding cricketers play Smash 50-ball cricket and witness The Hundred at Lord’s on the same day

By K.R. Nayar
From Lord’s Cricket Ground 

On August 14. 2025, budding cricketers who are on a tour of England with the G Force Cricket Academy got to experience two of the latest formats of the game on. In the morning, they played Smash 50-ball cricket at the Ardingly cricket ground, and in the evening, they watched ‘The Hundred’ at Lord’s Cricket Ground, played by international stars like Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, etc. For the youngsters, both were memorable experiences.

 

G Force Boys during The Hundred match at the  Lord's 

Head coach Gopal Jasapara has innovated many formats. Each time he introduced or played a new format, I’ve been fortunate to report it. In 2008, when he introduced the 10-over cricket and I reported it, very few believed that one day it would become an international format. He introduced the 10-over format, and the Dubai Cricket Council approved it. The tournament was held at Zabeel Park Ground, where only limited time slots were available each day. In 2017, Ajman Cricket Council head Shaji Ul Mulk introduced 10-over cricket as an international event by staging the now popular Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.

 

Arriving early at Lord's with excitement to watch a new format 

Jasapara then went on to launch the 15-over cricket for his students. This was followed by a five-set marathon cricket format, like in tennis, during his academy’s tour of England. That tour coincided with the Wimbledon Championship in England, and hence, this innovative method was designed by taking a cue from that famous tennis tournament. “I got the idea from Wimbledon and introduced it in our camp matches. Participants were asked to play five matches of different formats. Each team had to play 25-over, 20-over, 15-over, 10-over, and 5-over matches, and the team that won the maximum number of matches from these formats was declared the winner,” he said.

 

England Test star Jonathan Trott with Gopal Jasapara and his boys 

Jasapara also introduced a T20 tournament with a ban on batsmen hitting sixes, to prevent reckless and lofted shots. The rule stated that a player who hit a six would be declared out, and as a result, many players sharpened their skills to hit powerful ground shots.

 

A packed Lord's cricket ground during The Hundred match

In the ongoing tour, he introduced Smart Cricket, which is made up of 5-over, 10-over, and 15-over innings, followed by a second innings of 5-over, 10-over, and 15-over matches. “The objective is to get everyone to bat and bowl too,” he said. On this tour, he has staged two-day Test matches where 100 overs are bowled each day, along with T20 games and 40-over matches against the England-based Twenty20 Cricket team and Middlesex School of Cricket.

 

Ollie Pope with G Force youngster Arjun and Digital Media chief Jayneel Jasapara

The Smash 50-ball cricket format has many interesting features. Jasapara explained in detail: “First of all, the ground size will be only 40 yards. Eight players will play in a team, and each over will comprise five balls. Each bowler will bowl two overs of five balls each. Only five bowlers can bowl, and batters in positions 1, 2, and 3 are not allowed to bowl. A batter retires after scoring 25 runs but can return at the end. A wide or no-ball is worth four runs. There will be no re-bowls for the first nine overs. In the 10th over, a wide ball will have to be re-bowled, and it will count for two runs.”

 

G Force boys line up for autographs  

Later in the day, Jasapara took the boys to watch The Hundred Men’s Competition, which is now a popular format and tournament. A packed Lord’s Stadium witnessed the match in which London Spirit, led by Kane Williamson, defeated Trent Rockets, captained by David Willey, by 21 runs. Jamie Smith was named Player of the Match for his knock of 52 and two catches. Williamson scored 45. In The Hundred, the team that scores more runs wins. Bowlers can deliver either five or ten consecutive balls, as per the captain’s choice, and each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 balls per match.

 

It's time to start the match, tells Kane Williamson to G Force boys 

The G Force boys returned from Lord’s to Ardingly College in West Sussex richer in their knowledge of the game. They not only got to see Kane Williamson in action but also experienced the thrill of being acknowledged by him when they waved at him from the waiting area soon after practice.