(Image courtesy: New Indian Express)Will there be light at the end of the tunnel for Indian cricket, with the new set of ICC rules for one-day cricket? L Suresh speculates…
The timing couldn’t have been better. With the Indian cricket board desperately seeking newer ways of making money, the selection committee looking for the winning combination, the players groping for long-lost form and the Indian cricket fan hunting for hot topics to argue all day long, the ICC’s latest move to overhaul the game might just be the wonder drug that could solve everyone’s problems. In an attempt to pull out a tired rabbit out of a worn-out hat, the committee has brought out a set of innovations for one-dayers that will be experimented with and debated over long after Sachin’s elbow, Sourav’s form and Harbhajan’s action cease to be moot points for passionate conversation.
The progression was but natural. The seventies witnessed the one-day version of the game rise like a rain-soaked phoenix from the washed out remains of a test match. The eighties saw Kerry Packer play God and proclaim, “Let there be light”, as day-nighters captured everyone’s imagination. The nineties saw batting switch gears from being a lilting symphony to punk rock belted out from ghetto blasters, as batsmen pounded, bludgeoned and ripped their way to team scores of 300 and above. And then came the lull. For a long time, it looked like nothing was changing - until the ICC modified the format of the game.
The new set of rules will be experimented with for a period of ten months, possibly starting with the three-match series between England and Australia (note the reversal in the order of names). Obviously something had to be done to resurrect a rapidly waning interest in the one-day game that today, has to contend not only with soccer and rugby, but also with its peppier, wham-bam, new-kid-on-the-block cousin - Twenty-20. Of course, in India we don’t have such problems. (Why else would the world’s largest film industry ensure that the release dates of its movies don’t clash with cricket matches that involve India?)
While other countries contend with thinning crowds, we have our own problems – an anorexic winning curve that is constantly going downhill and along the way, is throwing up the most shocking data. That’s why the change in format could be just what the doctor ordered.
1. Substitutions: Teams will be allowed to replace a player at any stage of a match. The replaced player will be ruled out of the rest of the game while the replacement will be allowed to assume any remaining batting or bowling duties. A bowler can be replaced before he bowls his full quota of overs and a batsman can be substituted before he gets out.
Advantage India: That takes the collective necks of the coach and the team’s thinktank off the block, as they don’t have to debate over the final playing eleven. Twelve can take the field now, with one substitution.
The bowling advantage: To play three pacers and two spinners or three pacers and one spinner will never again be an issue. Now, if Zaheer turns out to be expensive in his opening spell, he can be replaced with Murali Kartik, if necessary. In short, we can play five full-time bowlers!
The batting advantage: At any point in time, if a batsman is not found scoring at a fast clip, he can be substituted with another. So if Ganguly is groping for the ball or Yuvraj is found floundering against the spinners, an extra batsman can take their place. That means playing eight batsmen!
No more allrounders: This is probably the biggest advantage for India. Our search for the elusive allrounder can now come to an end. Not having a Kallis, a Flintoff or a Chris Cairns in the team will no longer be a problem as we can now have a VVS Balaji play for us – VVS Laxman batting and then Balaji replacing him when its time to bowl. So why look for an allrounder when two can do the job of one!
A new lease of life: Laxman and Kumble must’ve already started smiling. With the team now fielding 12 players, issues like all-round abilities and fielding skills will now take a backseat. (“Just do your thing. A body double will take care of the acrobatics” – as in the movies.) Many fringe players will also start licking their lips in anticipation. There’s one more place up for grabs.
The timing couldn’t have been better. With the Indian cricket board desperately seeking newer ways of making money, the selection committee looking for the winning combination, the players groping for long-lost form and the Indian cricket fan hunting for hot topics to argue all day long, the ICC’s latest move to overhaul the game might just be the wonder drug that could solve everyone’s problems. In an attempt to pull out a tired rabbit out of a worn-out hat, the committee has brought out a set of innovations for one-dayers that will be experimented with and debated over long after Sachin’s elbow, Sourav’s form and Harbhajan’s action cease to be moot points for passionate conversation.
The progression was but natural. The seventies witnessed the one-day version of the game rise like a rain-soaked phoenix from the washed out remains of a test match. The eighties saw Kerry Packer play God and proclaim, “Let there be light”, as day-nighters captured everyone’s imagination. The nineties saw batting switch gears from being a lilting symphony to punk rock belted out from ghetto blasters, as batsmen pounded, bludgeoned and ripped their way to team scores of 300 and above. And then came the lull. For a long time, it looked like nothing was changing - until the ICC modified the format of the game.
The new set of rules will be experimented with for a period of ten months, possibly starting with the three-match series between England and Australia (note the reversal in the order of names). Obviously something had to be done to resurrect a rapidly waning interest in the one-day game that today, has to contend not only with soccer and rugby, but also with its peppier, wham-bam, new-kid-on-the-block cousin - Twenty-20. Of course, in India we don’t have such problems. (Why else would the world’s largest film industry ensure that the release dates of its movies don’t clash with cricket matches that involve India?)
While other countries contend with thinning crowds, we have our own problems – an anorexic winning curve that is constantly going downhill and along the way, is throwing up the most shocking data. That’s why the change in format could be just what the doctor ordered.
1. Substitutions: Teams will be allowed to replace a player at any stage of a match. The replaced player will be ruled out of the rest of the game while the replacement will be allowed to assume any remaining batting or bowling duties. A bowler can be replaced before he bowls his full quota of overs and a batsman can be substituted before he gets out.
Advantage India: That takes the collective necks of the coach and the team’s thinktank off the block, as they don’t have to debate over the final playing eleven. Twelve can take the field now, with one substitution.
The bowling advantage: To play three pacers and two spinners or three pacers and one spinner will never again be an issue. Now, if Zaheer turns out to be expensive in his opening spell, he can be replaced with Murali Kartik, if necessary. In short, we can play five full-time bowlers!
The batting advantage: At any point in time, if a batsman is not found scoring at a fast clip, he can be substituted with another. So if Ganguly is groping for the ball or Yuvraj is found floundering against the spinners, an extra batsman can take their place. That means playing eight batsmen!
No more allrounders: This is probably the biggest advantage for India. Our search for the elusive allrounder can now come to an end. Not having a Kallis, a Flintoff or a Chris Cairns in the team will no longer be a problem as we can now have a VVS Balaji play for us – VVS Laxman batting and then Balaji replacing him when its time to bowl. So why look for an allrounder when two can do the job of one!
A new lease of life: Laxman and Kumble must’ve already started smiling. With the team now fielding 12 players, issues like all-round abilities and fielding skills will now take a backseat. (“Just do your thing. A body double will take care of the acrobatics” – as in the movies.) Many fringe players will also start licking their lips in anticipation. There’s one more place up for grabs.
2. Fielding restrictions: Currently, fielding sides should have two players outside the 30-yard circle for the first 15 overs. This rule will now apply for the first 10 overs but must also be reintroduced for 10 more overs during the innings, in two blocks of five, at the fielding captain's discretion. But the two mandatory fielders in close-catching positions can be dispensed with after the first ten overs.
The India Factor: Finally, an opportunity for us to step up the scoring rate during the middle overs, especially when a wicket falls.
The bowling advantage: None – unless we are bowling to Damien Martyn in poor form. Or to the likes of Kallis, Chanderpaul, Younis Khan and Atapattu, in which case we can choke the singles and force them to play their shots. Against any other batsman, it’s the beginning of a long ‘Chase the leather’ contest.
The batting advantage: Other batsmen can now experience the advantage that Sehwag has at the top of the order. 10 overs with just two men outside the circle – just what Ganguly, Yuvraj and Laxman must’ve been waiting for. The perfect excuse for those who can’t score in singles - just go over the top without worrying about getting caught in the deep! It also eliminates the one thing that most Indian batsmen hate – running between the wickets for singles.
3. Pitch invasion – by technology: Starting with the Super Series in Australia this October, on-field umpires can consult with the TV umpire on any aspect of any decision, but the final decision remains with them.
The India Factor: Bottle-throwing, chair-breaking, free-for-all incidents at the stadium might now be on the decline, with fans not getting outraged at Sachin being given out helmet before wicket or Sourav searching for his missing leg stump.
4. A bat out of hell: While some players use bats that exceed the permitted width of four-and-a-quarter inches, some others use bats injected with cork to increase their power. Of course, the ones who don’t believe in convention use specially made Kookaburra bats that have a thin film of graphite running down the back to strengthen the blade. Finally, the ICC has decided to bay for their blood.
The India Factor: Sigh! If only the ICC had figured this out a couple of years before, Ricky Ponting’s graphite-powered 140 in the 2003 World Cup final with 4 fours and 8 sixers could have been stopped. (The irony here is that graphite is the softest mineral known to man, but don’t tell Zaheer Khan and Co. that.) Anyways, all that is about to change. Hopefully it should happen before the next time we bowl to Afridi.
The Flip Side: Rules aren’t rules if they don’t curb, hurt, offend or exasperate us all. Keeping in with this spirit, the new ICC rules do pose a challenge or two to the team’s thinktank. Batting orders can’t be fixed anymore. Depending on the fielding restrictions implemented in the middle of the game, pinch-hitters will have to be floating points on our batting graph. Field placements will have to be done more carefully because the boundary ropes will now have to be orphaned for 20 overs instead of 15. The right substitute will have to be selected or the captain will have a lot to answer for. And that all-important call of when to introduce the two chunks of five overs with fielding restrictions – a decision that could now make the difference between winning and losing.
In case these rules aren’t tried out during the three one-dayers between England and Australia, they could be implemented in all matches starting July 30 – the day when the tri-series featuring India, Sri Lanka and West Indies gets underway. And India and Sri Lanka could be the first teams to apply these innovations to a game. So, for our next series, we’ve got a new coach, a new captain, some new faces in the team and a new set of rules to play with. Now all we need to do is develop a new habit – that of winning consistently.
The India Factor: Finally, an opportunity for us to step up the scoring rate during the middle overs, especially when a wicket falls.
The bowling advantage: None – unless we are bowling to Damien Martyn in poor form. Or to the likes of Kallis, Chanderpaul, Younis Khan and Atapattu, in which case we can choke the singles and force them to play their shots. Against any other batsman, it’s the beginning of a long ‘Chase the leather’ contest.
The batting advantage: Other batsmen can now experience the advantage that Sehwag has at the top of the order. 10 overs with just two men outside the circle – just what Ganguly, Yuvraj and Laxman must’ve been waiting for. The perfect excuse for those who can’t score in singles - just go over the top without worrying about getting caught in the deep! It also eliminates the one thing that most Indian batsmen hate – running between the wickets for singles.
3. Pitch invasion – by technology: Starting with the Super Series in Australia this October, on-field umpires can consult with the TV umpire on any aspect of any decision, but the final decision remains with them.
The India Factor: Bottle-throwing, chair-breaking, free-for-all incidents at the stadium might now be on the decline, with fans not getting outraged at Sachin being given out helmet before wicket or Sourav searching for his missing leg stump.
4. A bat out of hell: While some players use bats that exceed the permitted width of four-and-a-quarter inches, some others use bats injected with cork to increase their power. Of course, the ones who don’t believe in convention use specially made Kookaburra bats that have a thin film of graphite running down the back to strengthen the blade. Finally, the ICC has decided to bay for their blood.
The India Factor: Sigh! If only the ICC had figured this out a couple of years before, Ricky Ponting’s graphite-powered 140 in the 2003 World Cup final with 4 fours and 8 sixers could have been stopped. (The irony here is that graphite is the softest mineral known to man, but don’t tell Zaheer Khan and Co. that.) Anyways, all that is about to change. Hopefully it should happen before the next time we bowl to Afridi.
The Flip Side: Rules aren’t rules if they don’t curb, hurt, offend or exasperate us all. Keeping in with this spirit, the new ICC rules do pose a challenge or two to the team’s thinktank. Batting orders can’t be fixed anymore. Depending on the fielding restrictions implemented in the middle of the game, pinch-hitters will have to be floating points on our batting graph. Field placements will have to be done more carefully because the boundary ropes will now have to be orphaned for 20 overs instead of 15. The right substitute will have to be selected or the captain will have a lot to answer for. And that all-important call of when to introduce the two chunks of five overs with fielding restrictions – a decision that could now make the difference between winning and losing.
In case these rules aren’t tried out during the three one-dayers between England and Australia, they could be implemented in all matches starting July 30 – the day when the tri-series featuring India, Sri Lanka and West Indies gets underway. And India and Sri Lanka could be the first teams to apply these innovations to a game. So, for our next series, we’ve got a new coach, a new captain, some new faces in the team and a new set of rules to play with. Now all we need to do is develop a new habit – that of winning consistently.
(Appeared in the New Indian Express Sunday Supplement as 'Playing by the rules' on 03 July, 2005)
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