New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is set to introduce a trial rule in the first five rounds of the 2026-27 men’s Ford Trophy, which begins on October 28. As per the existing rules, teams use two new balls during the first 34 overs of a 50-over innings. From the 35th over, the bowling team selects one of the two balls and uses it at both ends until the end of the innings.
However, NZC wants to give bowlers a better chance to produce reverse swing in the final overs. To achieve this, the board will test a system in which teams use just one ball for all 50 overs. The Ford Trophy season will be played in two parts. The first five rounds will take place until November, while the remaining five rounds and the finals are scheduled for February 2027. NZC will review the trial after the first five rounds. Following the review, it will decide whether to continue with the one-ball rule or return to the two-ball system for the rest of the season.
“I think it adds a really interesting dynamic to the game and to the format, so I quite like the idea of trialling the single ball and bringing back the art of getting the ball to reverse swing,” Central Stags’ Will Young said.
“With the ball doing a bit more at the back end of the innings, it will challenge the batters to figure out different ways to generate a strike rate.
“It’ll be interesting to see if it leads to a different style of playing or, for instance, a different approach to the power play.”
“It reminds me of when you stumble across old international highlights, and watch the death bowling and you can see that the ball’s a bit softer and reverse-swinging – and it’s really difficult for the batter to score at more than a run-a-ball in those last 10-15 overs,” Young said.
The first round of the Ford Trophy will start with Auckland Aces playing against Canterbury in Auckland. The Stags will face Northern Districts in Nelson. The match between Wellington Firebirds and Otago Volts, scheduled for October 28, has been moved to October 29 because of flight cancellations. The teams will also play under the new rules during the tournament. These matches will help players prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will take place late next year.