Cricket has not re-invented itself ever, like it has
this time round in the Land of Oz. That day is not far-off when we would see
teams chasing scoring 500 and 400 being chased easily. A TV presenter rightly
said the other day, that like the English alphabets begin with A,B,C,D, cricket
begins with A,B,D,V. So, true! Going at seven per over is considered, ‘OK’.
Boundary acrobatics are considered normal, and the extra fielder inside the 30
yard during middle-overs is suicide for bowlers. This is making survival of a
bowler in a batsman’s world difficult.
We must think bigger
instead of smaller. We must plan a competition that truly expands the game, and
keeps it vivid in people's minds for ages. We must architect a World Cup that
takes cricket to new horizons of exposure and support.
It is the time to capitalise on the confidence of
the underdogs and push them into the spotlight for good. With T20 becoming the
ideal format for domestic cricket globally, this is the age where the game can
truly expand.
After extensive debates with knowledgeable cricket
lovers, it finally boils down to this. I have zeroed in on 7 recommendations
that may bring the perfect balance to the game:
1. BOUNCE’EM THRICE:
Three bouncers an over may help. This will keep the batsman guessing and hence
slogging every ball may end, and class may take over.
2. OLD SCHOOL, 4 IN 5 OUT:
Let’s force batsmen to rely on singles and twos and earn his boundary. This
will also allow spinners to flight the ball otherwise the art of spin is slowly
but surely evaporating.
3. 10 TEAMS, ROUND-ROBIN:
The group stage this year WC 2015 is like a foreplay session, teams getting
warm and generating hunger for the knock-outs. If the 10-team format is
followed then, it will help the associate nations immensely in improving their
standards. Honestly, Zimbabwe and West Indies do not deserve to be test playing
nations. Ireland does, here is the irony.
4.
THE
40-OVER FORMULA: The existing 40 overs competition, with most matches
played on Sunday afternoons, is more popular with spectators than 50-overs
cricket, which require a morning start, because their commercial considerations
which have to be taken into account. Here the overs should be completed by 160
minutes.
5.
‘A’
SPINNER MANDATORY: This
has to somehow be made mandatory or else my son/daughter will never witness or
counter spin all their lives. With heavier bats, smaller boundaries spinners
are becoming the fewer and fewer. Like the ‘Save the Tiger’ campaigns all
across the world ICC should think of spinner saving campaigns as well.
6.
INCREASE
THE QUOTA OF OVERS: Allow
12 overs to one bowler and 8 to the other and the rest can be fixed at 10
mandatory overs. This will allow the best bowler of the opposition, to get a
longer crack at his opposition making things a wee-bit difficult for the
batters. This will bring balance of some degree to the table.
7.
UNIFORMITY
OF BAT WEIGHTS: There
should be a rule in place, that bats should not weigh more than a certain
figure or else you will see Gayle sending the ball to orbit whereas others will
not even come close. Simple reason: the
grounds, much like golf courses around the world, are struggling to contain the
ball in the field of play. Sixes are struck now with ease. Mis-hits for the
maximum are common. The bowler is at his wit's end. Any more grand technology
to the bat and the game will become alien. So let’s fix to a certain dimension
and weight and use that as the limit.
If
some serious introspection is done, I am sure the game will benefit and our
religion will remain untarnished and holy.
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