T10 Matches - How Cricket Is Becoming Quicker and Dirtier

Cricket matches continue to get shorter, allegedly to appeal to more viewers. But an increasing number of cricket leagues appear to only exist as betting vehicles.

It began with a no-ball—not just any no-ball, but one so outrageous it became an instant social media sensation.

On November 22, during a match between Morrisville Samp Army and the New York Strikers, Hazrat Bilal of the United Arab Emirates overstepped the bowling line. No-balls happen frequently in cricket, typically when a bowler crosses the line by a few centimeters.

However, Bilal’s error was far more dramatic—he overstepped by nearly a meter, an utterly egregious mistake at the professional level.

His Samp Army teammates, Faf du Plessis and Reece Topley, chuckled at the absurdity.

Online, fans and observers were not amused.

“We don’t know, obviously, but it follows a pattern. And this is a tournament that has already been besmirched—a tournament that’s already a bit filthy,” said Phil Walker, editor-in-chief of Wisden, cricket’s oldest publication, during a recent podcast.

Bilal’s no-ball was only the first controversy at this year’s Abu Dhabi T10.

Four days later, on November 26, former Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka delivered an equally questionable performance against the Delhi Bulls. In just one over, Shanaka bowled four no-balls out of six throws. The two legal deliveries were both smashed over the boundary for four runs each. In total, he conceded 33 runs in six balls.

For context, this would rank as the eighth-worst over in the history of first-class cricket.