NICK HOWSON: The Brave will not be successfully defending their title from 2021 but they produced the best display of death bowling in the men's competition so far
The addition of a window for next year's third edition of The Hundred, only only solves part of the problem facing the ECB.
Even without the burden of Covid-19, each of the eight squads have represented a carousel, with players swapping in and out at will.
International call-ups, injuries and other franchise commitments are among the reasons, elements the organisers will be largely powerless to counteract.
Moving the Ashes to the start of the summer might mean more outings for England players (though only Zak Crawley was the only one to play a 'full' allocation of three games) but it is a partial solution to a wider issue.
If the ECB want to create a genuine connection between the teams and supporters, the annual turnover of players is one thing, but having others dropping in and out at will makes it feel like a summer fling rather than a lasting relationship.
Barely a day has passed without news of a withdrawal or a replacement. It is impossible to keep track of who will turn up from one game to another, and we as journalists are meant to be wired into the matrix, so goodness knows how fans feel.
Michael Hogan thrived in the pressure point of the game (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
If this tournament is ultimately about being able to watch the best players in the world (and the ECB are convinced this is a top-tier competition), that is compromised if a ticketholder turns up and discovers they're in a different country.
You wouldn't like it if you turned up to a Grand Prix and Mercedes have dropped Lewis Hamilton, or to an NFL game to see Kansas City Chiefs have sat Patrick Mahomes.
Few have had it worse than Southern Brave men. They lost Jofra Archer as early as May, started the tournament without Quinton de Kock, saw Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills succumb to injuries and Finn Allen, Marcus Stoinis and Craig Overton join-up with their respective countries.
In their place have come Sonny Baker, Beuran Hendricks, Paul Stirling and James Fuller. Indeed, the Hampshire seamer has ended up replacing players on two occasions. And you wonder why they've struggled to defend their title.
The off-season will surely see a change of tact with regard to overseas players, with teams prioritising those are available for the duration. That will surely affect the number of stellar names the tournament showcases, but that is a necessary trade-off.
As is often the way with franchise competitions, being in the right place at the right time is important. Fullertook 23 wickets in Hampshire's run to the T20 Blast title, so he was a natural pick-up once a window opened in the Brave squad.
"In a batter's format, it was a delight to see two quicks prevail when the ball would traditionally be sailing out of the park"
Hogan was also a late call-up as a domestic wildcard. The 41-year-old collected 20 wickets for Glamorgan in the Blast including a memorable 5 for 18 at the Kia Oval.
They'll be unfairly painted as a downgraded on England's death-bowling T20I trio - but that would be unfair given their skill-sets and experience.
It was a joy to see two latecomers to The Hundred party combine for the most frugal final sets in the men's tournament so far. The seven conceded off the final 10 balls is the best return at the death, trumping the eight Kane Richardson and Tom Helm restricted Welsh Fire to at Sophia Gardens.
With a Big Bash League champion Colin Munro and Lewis Gregory, a fine finisher in his own right, at the crease there was every reason Trent Rockets could turn a platform of 131 for 4 through balls into a formidable total.
Munro had just gone six, four off Jake Lintott and was eyeing a big finish. Fuller had other ideas, probing a short and wide line which the left-hander Munro - whose T20 strike rate sits at 141 - had no answer. He would eventually be forced to take on a flat yorker which he whipped to deep midwicket.
(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
One of the beauties of The Hundred is the rule where the new batter is on strike even if the pair cross. It is surely coming to other white-ball competitions, such has been its success.
It meant that it was Daniel Sams, rather than the set Gregory, who faced Hogan in the final set. He chewed up four deliveries and when the strike was finally rotated, only a single ball remained. A full and straight yorker from the Glamorgan quick did the business.
In a batter's format, it was a delight to see two quicks prevail when the ball would traditionally be sailing out of the park. Rather than knuckleballs and funky deliveries out of the back of the hand, it was more about changes in pace and length.
The Hundred has cried out for a tight game and this might be as close as we're liable to get. In a group stage of 32 matches, there are very few important ones and while this wasn't that, it was a tense finale every tournament needs. It promised to be a thrilling finish until Alex Davies, Ross Whiteley and then Tim David's six-ball onslaught, but a very good crowd made an occasion of it.
It was all set up by a stellar Brave bowling effort at the back end. David's innings will dominate the highlight reel, but there is a lot to be said for what inevitably sits on the cutting room floor.