Former Australian captain Steve Waugh says he is open to a radical push from Ricky Ponting and Michael Holding to get rid of the toss from Test cricket.
Under Ponting’s proposal, the away side would choose who bats first in order to counteract any advantage the hosts could gain from preparing a favourable pitch.
“I don’t mind that, I think that’s not such a bad thing,” Waugh told Melbourne radio station SEN. “At the end of the day I think there’s probably too much emphasis placed on the toss and the conditions away from home.
“I don’t mind the authorities looking at some other options.”
West Indies fast-bowling great Holding has twice backed Ponting’s idea in columns penned for Wisden India.
Holding believes eliminating the toss will force home sides to prepare competitive surfaces.
Waugh said Australia’s failure to adapt to English conditions had cost them the Ashes.
“They played poorly. Their batting technique was astray from players of that calibre,” Waugh said.
He said modern cricketers should be able to perform in any conditions.
“There may have been a couple of selections that didn’t go their way, but I was there at the Lord’s Test and they played exceptionally well,” Waugh said.
“It looked like they were going to win the last couple of Tests.
“I’m not sure where the wheels came off.”
John Suffolk
Guest
I agree that having the choice should alternate. Perhaps there should be a toss in the first test match and thereafter the choice of batting first should alternate. So if Australia won the first toss, they would have choice of whether to bat or bowl in the first, third and fifth match, and England would have choice of whether to bat or bowl in the second and fourth test.
Arthur Pagonis
Roar Guru
the key to cricket is Even competition. so making the visitors choose who bats or bowls first as Ricky Ponting says is not the answer. Tests 1-3-5 should allow the Home Team to chose. Tests 2-4 the Visitors get to chose. The ICC Referee should oversee the preparation of the wicket. Playing random 1 and 2 and 3 Test series with random ODIs and T20 games is , well, random. Pointless. It does nothing for cricket. If we had a World Cricket League where 8-10 Nations played home and away Series of 1 Test, 1 ODI, 2 T20's...all in 7-8 months with finals, we could crown World Champions every year in 3 forms of the game..
Lancey5times
Guest
Keep the coin toss but make both sides of the coin the same. As long as the away captain calls everyone is happy
BurgyGreen
Guest
The idea has a lot of merit, but in the interests of tradition I'd rather the ICC put some serious measures in place to enforce the independence of groundsmen. Not sure exactly how it would be done, but I feel that if home team boards were prevented from pressuring groundsmen, we might get some better pitches. The other issue is TV networks and the ground's club wanting flat wickets to ensure games last five days - a rather more difficult problem.
Dead Account
Roar Pro
I guess the other way you've got to look at this is it won't just eliminate extreme green-tops and turners it would stop roads being produced too, no home team wants to automatically have 500 put on them in the first innings. If it produced more competitive pitches that could be a good thing.
AUSI
Guest
Thats riduculous - the home team will have what it wants and should not lose. Ponting suggestion is sound and reasonable
Andy
Guest
How do travelling teams not know as well? Im pretty sure there are Australians who know about cricket and about grass living in England who could walk down a year before and 6 months before and 1 month etc before and have a look at the ground. The pitch isnt hidden before the games and is suddenly revealed 5 minutes before play.
Brendan the 1st
Guest
Toss The coin at the start of each series and then alternate each match, so whoever bats first in the first match bowls first in the next
Jameswm
Guest
Both teams play on the same surface, but the home team can know exactly how dry or moist or green it is. The groundsman knows how the itch reacts to certain amounts of water.
Andy
Guest
All this talk of coin toss and stuff just feels like losers complaining. Both teams have to play on the same surface and both sides have the same knowledge for the same amount of time as to what the pitch will play like. Yes England did tailor pitches to suit their players more but they were only able to do so because we are completely and utterly shite at playing on those surfaces. If our batsman and bowlers didnt have such huge gaps in their basic skills then the pitches wouldnt have mattered one bit. All teams have always tailored pitches to their players of the time, our pitches over here spun way more when we had Warne. Get better at cricket, bring up concerns before losing and keep the toss.
Bert
Roar Rookie
Keep the coin toss. Tradition is important.