Trent Rockets captain Lewis Gregory has pointed to "tired" pitches as the primary reason behind the noticeable drop in scores during the ongoing men's Hundred tournament. The average first-innings total has significantly decreased from 155 last season to just 133 this year, with only one score surpassing 170, compared to 14 such scores in the previous edition.

While some players, including Liam Livingstone, have speculated that the deviation of the ball—attributed to the extra lacquer required for The Hundred’s branding—might be to blame, Gregory believes that the pitches are the main culprit.

"I don't think the surfaces have been particularly great across the board," Gregory said. "These balls do seem to swing a fraction more than the normal white Kookaburras that we use in the Blast. I just think the combination of that and some tired pitches at the back end of an English season has made it quite difficult for free-flowing striking."

The impact of these conditions was evident in Trent Rockets' recent match against Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston, where they were bowled out for a mere 118. Early movement from bowlers Tim Southee and Chris Wood left Rockets struggling at 22 for 4 after just 30 balls, ultimately leading to their elimination from the tournament.

Gregory highlighted the challenges posed by the pitches, which have offered substantial assistance to both seamers and spinners, making it difficult for batters to score freely. "You're seeing the ball get off straight a lot, which obviously makes it difficult to whack out of the park when the ball is moving around," he noted. "There are a few tired wickets that bring spinners into the game, and then there's a few wickets that have done a lot for the seamers."

The Hundred is being played at the same eight venues as previous seasons, but the unusually high rainfall in the UK this year has made it challenging for groundstaff to maintain ideal pitch conditions. "I'm not quite sure what the cause is, but in the past we've played on some better surfaces than we have this year," Gregory added.

Interestingly, the women's Hundred has not seen a similar drop in scores, with the average first-innings total remaining relatively stable from last year's 133 to this year's 130. Some experts believe that the women's game has benefited from groundstaff leaving more grass on the pitches, which has maintained better playing conditions.

As the men's Hundred continues, it remains to be seen whether these "tired" pitches will continue to affect scoring rates or if adjustments can be made to improve conditions in the remaining matches.