ODI rules could be changed dramatically
For long, the cricket fans across the world have been hearing about how the two traditional formats of the game, Test cricket and ODIs, have been going through a decline. However, it is only recently that the talks have become more serious and constructive, towards ensuring that the fifty overs cricket and five-day cricket does not die a slow death in the wake of the T20 cricket, which has been both a boon and a bane to the sport.
Enter Cricket Australia and their innovative thinking. Already, two other cricket boards, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 and England, have changed their domestic 50-over cricket to 40 overs a side each, and now Australia has decided to modify even that. What the Aussies will be looking at, and finalising in the next couple of weeks, is a new plan which will see cricket as never seen before in a bid to ensure that the paying public enjoys it even more than before.
For their domestic games, Cricket Australia has proposed a two innings match of 20 overs each, instead of having 40-overs a side, an innings. The batting team may be allowed to have one batsman with more than one life, and the bowlers would also be allowed more leeway in trying to control the batsmen, with lesser restraint on leg-side bowling and more than one bouncer allowed per over.
These changes could just be brought about in the next season of the domestic one-day competition if the board decides to approve the same.
The crux of the issue is that with the advent of T20 cricket, the one-day internationals could soon become redundant, and the decline could just be too rapid later. There is also a view that one-day cricket becomes monotonous in the 15 to 40 overs bracket and by getting in these innovations and excitement, there is a good chance that the audience may start coming back.
Australia also hosts the 2015 edition of the World Cup and hopes that by the time that tournament is around the corner, some of these innovations would be adopted by all the countries.
Some of the apparent changes that could happen to the game of cricket include the following:
Reducing the number of overs from 50 to 40 overs a side
Even that would be split into two innings of 20 overs each. However, each team will be allowed to bat for only 10 wickets.
Batting twice?
One batsman, who gets dismissed in the first innings of the game could be allowed to bat again in the second innings. This is a concept that is copied from baseball.
Four bowlers only
Instead of having five bowlers, which is currently the norm, only four bowlers will be needed.
Two flew over the batsmen's head
Instead of only one bouncer per over, the bowlers will be allowed two bouncers per over. The bouncer has to be between the head and the shoulder; anything above that will be illegal.
Less strict wides
Umpires will not call a wide each time the ball almost brushes the pads of the batsman because it is down the leg-side.
Field restriction
Two players will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first five overs, and four from overs six to 20.
The Australian cricket board has, however, decided that they will not use these experiments throughout the season, but only for a couple of rounds of games in order to test out the new rules. The first round of the next season’s domestic one-day cricket in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 will see the experiments, before the rest of the rounds will see traditional fifty overs cricket. Once the Australian team departs for the World Cup, which will be played in the Indian sub-continent, the rest of the games will be back to the trial mode, until the final of the tournament.
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