The Analysis: Colin Ackermann the unlikely hero and Carlos Brathwaite has all the shots

NICK HOWSON looks at the main talking points as Manchester Originals beat Welsh Fire in the men's Hundred in Cardiff

Tequila, tequila

One nice aspect of the opening rounds of The Hundred had been the unity shown between both men's and women's sides in the same franchise.

Players are often seen watching each other from the stands before the after their matches. One team, two genders seems to be the outlook.

On commentary during BBC Sport's coverage of the men's match, following defeat for Manchester Originals in the earlier women's game, Alex Hartley spoke about the opportunity the tournament has presented to learn from players who apply their trade around the world.

Among them is West Indies allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, the Originals captain now Jos Buttler has joined up with England.

Though buying a round of shots was probably not what the ECB had in mind when they were looking at the potential performance benefits of the tournament.

"We've spent quite a lot of time with the men's team," she said. "We've been to the bar, had drinks and Carlos... what a great man! He bought 40 tequilas the other night!"

Ackermann of the moment

Ben Duckett is a quick guy between the wickets. He has often made tight singles look easy.

Some of that relies on fielders baulking under pressure. Attempting risky runs also forces those in the field to respond quickly. It can sometimes be about who keeps their nerve.

He will have fancied getting home when he nudged Colin Ackermann into the off-side and set off for a single.

What he will not have expected what the agility and skill of Ackermann, who is not renowned for his fielding.

The 30-year-old skipped across the pitch to collect the ball, picked up one-handed and without delay took aim at the stumps over his shoulder. The flashing red zing bails provided the confirmation as Welsh Fire lost one of their premier batters.

Duckett slid his bat in and can hardly have expected the end result. But he knew his fate once the stumps had been thrown down.

Colin Ackermann 🚀 🙌#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/Ja7n4hUJwv

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) July 31, 2021

DRS success

What can the wider game learn from The Hundred?

No that isn't a misprint.

It is only natural that part of this form of the game will influence aspects of the other formats. It would be foolish to suggest otherwise.

The speed at which the Decision Review System has been used has certainly been noticeable.

The TV umpire has come to decisions very quickly, not bothering with slowing down footage and telling it as they see it.

I loath to use this phase, there has been a 'clear and obvious' feel to the whole process.

The use of DRS has been debated long and hard in other formats. It can sometimes turn into a bit of a circus with long delays and little clarity.

Even though there are timeouts and 50 seconds between sets of five, innings can ill-afford further delays if it is to fit into the 65-minute limit. And it rarely does that.

Perhaps this streamlined approach to the video review system can bleed into other areas of the game, which could also do with a hurry up.

BBC coverage

The coverage of The Hundred on BBC TV is one of the most important aspects of this year's competition.

It is likely that very few of the new viewers to the sport will be coming via Sky Sports Cricket.

The fresh set of eyes are expected to come from the free-to-air exposure, so the tone and quality of coverage is important.

So far, the BBC are certainly going down the route of trying to make their product as accessible as possible.

Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan are Auntie's very own Ant and Dec with gags, bantz and laughs at the top of the agenda.

The idea appears to be if you enjoy the coverage, you'll be back. That idea isn't without foundation.

Isa Guha attempts to keep them in check and does an admirable job at offering serious cricket insight.

I've been surprised while attending matches how little explanation there has been at the grounds regarding some of the more technical aspects of the game. These are meant to be new fans, after all.

For example, at almost every match I've heard leg-side stumping cheered like wickets, followed by a mystified silence. Those kinds of rules need better addressing.

^{Colin Ackermann was everywhere in Cardiff}

The BBC have this covered in the form of explainer videos voiced by Greg James.

Vick Hope has the unenviable task of interviewing youngsters in the crowd which has been perfectly fine. It is notable that on the occasions she found fans at Sophia Gardens, many of them had been to cricket before.

It was also interesting that they showed a full song from the house band Himalayas, as part of the tournament's relationship with BBC Music.

While Sky have stayed focused on cricket, and they're great at it, the BBC have looked at the entire experience which is much more in line with what The Hundred wants to be.

Having said that, the tendency to talk about the atmosphere (Sophia Gardens was a third full in line with Welsh government Covid rules) remains. They have overplayed that particular hand.

That said, I wonder how many people have brought tickets based on Sky's coverage. The BBC are pushing it as a much better overall product.