New ODI rules reduce impact of pacers: Brett Lee – Cricket News Update
Australia’s star pacer, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 for One-Day International cricket, most noticeably the use of two new balls in alternate overs.
The revised rules came into effect from October 1, 2011, and the ICC General Manager Cricket, David http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Richardson-c85395, had stated that the aim was to improve the game and make it more enjoyable for spectators.
However, as Lee prepares to tackle the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in the first ODI of the 5-match series today on March 16, at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent, he admitted that he was not a “massive fan” of the ICC’s new initiatives, which had reduced the
bowlers’ ability to employ reverse swing in the death overs.
“…to me now it's totally changed the way that one-day cricket's played,” the 35-year-old said. “It has taken a lot of the weapons out of the game that a fast bowler uses and that's bowling at the death in the late overs when the ball's not turning around
(with reverse swing). That to me is not enjoyable, but you've just got to roll with what you've got.”
Elaborating further on the hindrances faced by pacers, he went on to add that groundsmen nowadays were preparing pitches with the aim to slow the fast bowlers down.
“If I had it my way I'd go back to the way the old rules were, because we are playing on wickets these days that aren't really conducive to bowling fast and you need everything you can as a fast bowler to try to take wickets,” the right-armer said.
The new rules were also criticized by Indian skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 last year in October, when he termed them “tricky” and a hindrance to the reverse swing that was characteristic of sub-continental bowlers.
While Lee may have reservations regarding the rules, he is confident the notoriously slow Caribbean pitches will not be a problem for his team. Likening the pitch to the strip at Adelaide in the Commonwealth Bank series finale the team played on March 8,
Lee added that his side were used to playing on these sort of wickets throughout the world.
Tags: