Tim David produced the decisive moment in the first men's final of the Hundred, running out the in-form Liam Livingstone with a direct hit from the cover boundary. But if a tweak to the competition's regulations for 2022 had been in place at the time, he would not have been eligible to play.
David, the Australian middle-order batter who has played internationally for Singapore, signed for Southern Brave as a late replacement for Colin de Grandhomme ahead of the knockout stages, playing in the eliminator against Trent Rockets before hitting 15 off 6 balls and pulling off a run-out against Birmingham Phoenix in the final.
But under the Hundred's regulations for 2022, players will be unable to take part in the competition's knockout stages if they have not been registered for at least one group-stage game. David Bedingham, who signed for Phoenix as a last-minute replacement for Finn Allen ahead of the final last year, would also have been unavailable under the new regulations.
A similar rule has been in place for other English domestic competitions for several years, following Dwayne Bravo's controversial appearance for Essex at T20 Finals Day in 2010 which saw him fly into the country for a single game.
The change might affect Hundred teams with overseas players that are part of this year's Caribbean Premier League - such as Bravo (Northern Superchargers), Sunil Narine (Oval Invincibles) and Andre Russell (Manchester Originals) - with the CPL due to start on August 30 and the Hundred's knockout fixtures scheduled for September 2 and 3.
However, the Hundred's organisers are hoping to minimise the number of replacement overseas players signing during the tournament this season and have introduced a 'wildcard' overseas draft which will see each team add a fourth overseas player to their squad.
Teams will still only be able to field three overseas players in a single playing XI, but the addition of a fourth option in their squad is aimed to reduce the number of comings and goings once the season has started, with several players likely to miss games due to their international commitments.
The overseas 'wildcard' draft is provisionally due to be staged on June 9, with some of the Blast's leading unsigned overseas players - including Carlos Brathwaite, Dan Christian and Ashton Turner - expected to compete for contracts, which are worth £50,000 each. Each women's team will also sign a 'wildcard' overseas player, with their contracts worth £15,000 each.
There have been no major changes to the playing conditions or regulations for the other English domestic competitions ahead of the 2022 season, though the changes to the Laws - including the extension of the saliva ban and the introduction of the new playing condition that means a new batter will be on strike even if batters crossed - that will come into effect in October have been introduced early.
The majority of Covid-19 protocols from the 2020 and 2021 seasons have been rolled back in line with changes to national regulations, with players only required to test when they are symptomatic and the need for close contacts to self-isolate dropped.