Scrapping the coin toss in Test cricket and giving the visiting side choice of whether to bat or bowl would be an excellent decision by the International Cricket Council.
The dominance of home teams is a blight on the longest format, and the ICC’s proposal to get rid of the coin toss would hand a much-needed advantage to touring sides.
The ICC will make a decision on the toss later this month but already the idea of scrapping it has received support from the powerful England Cricket Board.
The ECB removed the mandatory toss from County Championship matches two years ago as a means of trying to prompt home teams to prepare fairer pitches.
Now we could see the same situation in next year’s Ashes, with Australia being able to choose whether to bat or bowl first in all five Tests. In theory, such a situation should increase Australia’s chances of winning each Test, and would do the same for any team playing away from home.
There’s no doubt that measures need to be taken to try to make visiting teams more competitive in Test cricket. I’m a staunch fan of Test cricket, which is my favourite format, but even I struggle to maintain interest in many series which are dominated by the home team.
Not only would scrapping the toss bring the visiting team into the contest but it would surely see the creation of more even Test pitches across the world. This would be particularly relevant in Australia.
Would Australia continue producing absolute roads in most Tests if they knew they’d have to bowl first every time on these batting paradises? Highly doubtful. The most interesting Test in each of the last three Australian summers has just happened to be at Adelaide, which boasted the fairest surface.
(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Those three day-night Tests in Adelaide have offered a good balance between bat and ball which, to no surprise, has fostered engaging cricket. If the tourists had the option to bat or bowl in each Test, Australia would be pressured into producing such pitches more often.
That would be a brilliant change because the toss has become far too valuable in recent years as Test pitches have seemed to get flatter and flatter the world over. On a road, the team batting first has a monumental advantage, larger than the one owned by a team who fields first on a bowler-friendly track.
They can bat their opponents out of the Test within the first four sessions. When a team is 5-460 at lunch on Day 2, interest quickly drains from the Test, with the fielding side likely to concentrate on grinding their way to a draw.
With Test cricket increasingly under pressure from fast-paced T20 cricket, the game’s administrators cannot let the longest format meander. Strong decisions must be made to make it the best product possible.
If even Test tragics like myself are regularly bored by the format how can it possibly hope to attract hordes of new fans? Of course, while scrapping the toss would surely improve the standard of pitches, it wouldn’t guarantee visiting sides will suddenly start challenging the home teams frequently.
Australia had the big advantage of batting first in all four Tests in India in 2013 and still got utterly humiliated. England could have batted first in all five of the recent Ashes Tests and I’d wager they still would have lost the series handsomely.
Regardless, scrapping the toss would be a big move in the right direction. And Test cricket needs all the help it can get.
Jacko
Guest
i would have thought the thing that keeps test cricket alive is the fact that the home sides win.......If the home sides start losing will the support remain?
Patrick
Roar Pro
In general I really like the concept of scrapping the toss. It should make for better pitches and a better contest. I just hope that visiting captains will have the guts to bowl first sometimes. Obviously with more competitive pitches, theoretically more will choose to bowl first, but historically that's always been seen as a risky decision. Personally I love going to the cricket on day 1, unsure whether or not Australia will bat or bowl first. Some years you get to see the team bat, and other years they'll bowl, and I wouldn't want to get to the stage where this unpredictability is lost. Hopefully it will be a non-issue, with even pitches changing the mindset that bowling first is a risk.
Rellum
Roar Guru
The ICC will need to force the big nations to play ball I think in the end.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Adelaide could not be described as being a road since the early 1990's. There have been 4 draws in the past 27 Tests (since 1991 and not including that 1991 draw). Indeed, no Australian pitch is particularly prone to draws (the MCG has only seen 2 draws in the past 20 Test Matches, albeit 2 in the last 4).
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
The SA team are not nearly as good away from home now as they were previously, and they're about to go through a rough patch with easily their best batsman AB retiring, Morkel retiring, and Amla, Faf, Steyn and Philander all on the verge of retirement. SA were hammered 6-1 combined across their last tours of India and England, and have only won 7 of their last 20 Tests away from home, so the Proteas have problems winning Tests away from home too.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I have high hopes for the Test Championship - Test matches/series badly need some extra context, and I'm also hopeful it will force the big nations to player the lesser sides more often.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Can I just say that the Test championship, if it is worked on so end up with the right set up, will do far more to ensure the future of test cricket than giving the Toss to the visiting team. Add in coloured clothes and a workable 80 over white ball and those two gimmicks will also add to the marketability of the hardest form of the game. I would actually rather a neutral groundsman be responsible for over seeing pitch preparation, but their charter would be to ensure the traditional nature of the pitch is respected. I don't think the ICC are capable of enforcing such high standards.
Just Nuisance
Guest
yup Ronan , Australian cricket have done themselves no favours with these pitches . just wondering whether Australias chronic problem of injuries to the Test quicks have to do with them having to bowl too many overs in each game on unresponsive pitches.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Dave, I will be cynical here and say that roads are prepared for the broadcaster so they get their 5 days worth.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
I do disagree. We have won our share of tests when we have lost the toss as have many other countries. If the away team is given the choice, the home team will prepare wickets as they see fit. If the toss is to be rotated, the same problem will arise. Sorry but leave it as it is.
soapit
Guest
pretty sure i thought of it before ricky, but you probably meant first person that mattered,
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
No No Ronan! The coin toss has been there since day dot. And the home/ away team each has a 50/50 chance of choosing anyway. The South African team hasn't found it difficult to win away over the past 12 years! Since the 06/07 season SA have played 41 Test series, 19 of those "series" were AWAY. Lost only 5 during that period. 3 of those 5 losses were in South Africa (Australia twice in SA, England in SA 2015/16) Only TWO...2 Losses were away (India in India 2015/16 and England 2017). Two series lost away from home, one in 15/16 and one in 2017. The Australian team of the 90's and naughties didn't struggle winning away from home. And this South African team from the late naughties/ teens hasn't struggled either. Leave the coin toss. Just get better at winning away from home. Champion teams do this. West Indies of the 80's. Australia of 90's/ naughties and this South African team from the past 12 years.
Lancey5times
Roar Rookie
It is a great idea but I would add an accompanying rule change with this. Sides should be allowed to name their 11 after the captain's bat/bowl decision
anon
Roar Pro
This gives strong teams too big an advantage when they travel to play minnow nations like the West Indies. The issue isn't tosses, it's the lack of depth in Test cricket.
Brian
Guest
Hear Hear This is a great initiative which will help create more contests. It will also help even things by allowing the visiting captain to be more innovative with his team selections
Brian
Guest
The County rules are different because of the visiting captain decides to bat there is a toss. So the rule only prevents greentops does not really prevent roads.
DeanO
Guest
Why is home teams winning a blight on the game exactly? I’m enthralled by the fact we haven’t won in India more than once in my life, and haven’t tasted victory in old Blighty for near on two decades. It makes the series so much more compelling when you realise just how difficult it is to conquer another team on their patch. That we’ve held the wood over SA in their backyard (until recently) and vice versa, creates a fascinating sub plot. I know teams feel the exact same about Australia and how badly they’d love to beat us here. Test cricket is the one format that’s been left the hell alone, you’ve got pyjama whack and bash cricket for innovations that apparently make things more entertaining (?) Give me a lost toss at Edgbaston with Jimmy Anderson hooping the Duke round corners under grey English skies any day
Savage
Roar Rookie
for anyone who is interested,Here is the stat for the team winning the toss in Test Cricket: Matches:2303 Matches won :823 Matches Lost :720 W/L ratio of team winning the toss - 1.143 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stats for Last 10 Years of team Winning the toss Matches:429 Matches won :178 Matches Lost :151 W/L ratio of team winning the toss - 1.178
JamesH
Roar Guru
If the ICC was better at coming down hard on ANYTHING it would go a long way to improving the game. Pitch doctoring, weak opposition in tour matches, poor behaviour, the Big 3 dictating terms to the other test nations... Gutless wonders.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
DaveJ I haven't suggested Australian Test pitches are produced as roads to suit the home team because I'm not sure that is the reason why so many roads are prepared. I'm more inclined to think the flat pitches are indicative of the desire of CA and the venues to maximise profits by ensuring each Test goes into the 5th day. But there's no denying that Australia for several years now has had the worst, most boring Test pitches in the world.