I have always been an avid cricket fan since my childhood, though partial to Test Cricket even today, as there was only Test Cricket during my formative years, and when I took up Cricket seriously.
I adapted to the One Day Cricket but am skeptical about the T 20 Format.
There are many things wrong with the shorter versions of the Game. Let us leave the T 20 for now and focus on the ODI, as the World Cup is around the corner.
What has gone wrong with the ODI Game in the last couple of decades?
It has become too Batsmen Friendly - Too many field restrictions, Shorter Boundaries, Strict rules on Wides, Bouncers, Free Hits, Heavy Bats and White Balls that doesn't offer help to either seamers or spinners have taken the charm out of the game. Due to the T 20 influence, batsmen take more risk, and bowlers main objective is to somehow finish their quota of 10 overs with 60+/- 10 runs in an Innings. All the restrictions are on the bowlers and the fielders, and none on the batsmen. He can switch hit, mis-hit, reverse sweep and do whatever he wants, but if the bowler strays down the leg side by a millimeter, he is punished. Absurd.
The way out?
Push the Boundaries back as much as possible, with a minimum of 85 yards on the sides and 100 plus on the straighter side. This shall also neutralize the negative effect of the modern heavy bats to some extend. This will also encourage spinners to bowl a more attacking orthodox line, using flight as the main weapon, instead of pushing the balls through flat and fast. We want to see bowlers akin to L Sivaramakrishnan (1985) or Mushtaq or Warne bowl aggressively again.- The ridiculous leg side wide has to go. If a batsman cannot put bat on the ball landing an inch outside the leg stump, he needs to find another vocation.
- The Wides should be on either side, only for balls that cannot be reached by the bat in a normal swing.
- Any bouncer that goes above the height of the head on a normal stance can be called a wide.
- No Free Hits. You cant punish a guy twice for the same offence. He is penalized a run, cant take a wicket of a no ball (other than run out), and has to re bowl the ball. Why give a free hit then?
- LBW rules to be made liberal. It is too complex now. We were taught that a batsman is out LBW, if the ball hits the pad, and in the absence of that, it would have gone to hit the stumps. The operative question should be "Would the ball have hit the stumps?". It should be only that, and nothing other than that. Scrap the ball pitching outside the leg or hitting outside the line rule.
Keep the 10 over limit for the bowler, but allow 1 over extra for each wicket taken by a bowler. This will encourage the Captain to set attacking fields for his best bowler/s in the hope that he can squeeze 2-3 overs extra from them. This will reduce the dependence on the 5th bowler, who more often than not is a trundle and should not even be bowling in nets - Raina, Rohit, Bopara, Duminy, Bailey are classic examples of bowlers who should not be given a bowl under any circumstances in International Cricket.
Many may not agree to this, but it is time we restrict the night cricket to T 20 and get back to day cricket with Red Ball and White Dress for the ODIs. I know we are even talking of night cricket for Test Matches. Anyway, the Cricket revenue comes from TV audience and not from in stadia collection. Reverting to Red Ball will eliminate the necessity for operating with two white balls, as is being done today, which is a big handicap for the spinners. The Red Ball does more in the Air and Off the Wicket and also affords considerable purchase for the Spinner. Once cant just tonk the ball around as they do with the White ball these days. This will ensure the return of traditional batsmen to the ODI Scenario, as against the mindless sloggers who go by the name of batsmen.
Cricket is, and should be, a battle of wits between the Batsmen and the Bowlers. What we have today is a game that is too loaded in favour of the Batsmen. No one wants to see sides scoring 350 plus in 50 overs and then it being chased down with ease. A good 183 being defended to win the World Cup is also exciting!!
