Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has made a forthright appeal of doing away with two balls in ODI cricket. Reflecting on the regular big scores being made and chased down in ODI cricket, Tendulkar feels that the two new balls have imbalanced the game in the batsman’s favour.
Tendulkar and several other cricket experts believe that the rule of two balls used in ODIs is one of the key factors for the glut of runs being scored – apart from the flatter pitches, shorter boundaries, bigger bats and more muscular batters.
Two new balls were introduced in ODI cricket in 2011; one ball from either end and each ball to be used for a maximum of 25 overs in an innings.
Tendulkar pointed out that because the ball doesn’t get old enough, there is little or no reverse swing to play with for the bowlers. This has made life easier for batters as the ball remains hard and the batters can score freely with it.
In a recent interview with news18.com, Tendulkar was asked, “You have strong views on two new balls being used for an ODI? You don’t seem to like it.”
Sachin replied: “Two new balls and field restrictions, I mean, it has put a lot of pressure on the bowlers. I don’t see reverse swing happening in ODI cricket. When was the last time it happened? It could have happened in the 45th over or whatever.
“If an ODI is played with one ball, reverse swing would probably happen in the 23rd over. That’s where the balance (of the game) changes. Reverse swing with SG, without a doubt, is better than any other ball makes.”
The two balls, one from each end, has also made life harder for spinners, who tend to prefer bowling with an older, softer ball. The ICC, back in 2011, had introduced this rule so that the middle phase of the ODI doesn’t get boring for viewers and the batsman keeps the scoreboard ticking faster.
ICC had also thought that two new balls will help bowlers swing for a longer duration. However, swing in modern limited-overs cricket happens only for a few overs at the start. So that thought backfired.
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