I have often wondered why bowlers in T20 matches are restricted to four overs while batsmen can bat the whole innings.
I see no justification for this, so my first proposal is that we allow any bowler to bowl up to ten overs.
This could change the game dramatically.
Do you select a team with three specialist bowlers and go all out with the batting? Or keep a similar mix to what we have now? The selection strategies would make the game more exciting.
We weren’t the best team over the World Cup and really only won the semi-final and final because of Aaron Finch’s ability to accurately predict which way up the coin finished.
It’s history now that ten out of 11 winners at Dubai International Stadium bowled first, with only Scotland losing to New Zealand when they failed to chase 172 (even then the Scots only fell 15 runs short).
In fact, the only significant wins by a team batting first in the whole tournament was South Africa beating England, who failed to chase 189 in Sharjah, and Sri Lanka beating the West Indies, who also failed to chase 189 in Abu Dhabi.
So it appears the game of T20 cricket is offering a significant advantage to the team that wins the toss. How do we fix this?
My second proposal is that the team losing the toss is allowed to nominate one player from the opposing team who is limited to four overs.
This could cause a little chaos if you’ve selected a team with only three genuine bowlers but chaos and T20 cricket go hand in hand.
My third proposal is that in the event of a tie after 20 overs each, a super over is conducted as per existing rules, but the team that lost the toss only needs to tie the super over to win the game, whereas the team that won the toss needs to score one run more to win.
Finally, fielding (particularly outfielding) has come a long way in the last few years and now provides some of the most spectacular and exciting parts of the game. So each team should be able to nominate two fielding substitutes that can come on at any time but are able to bat, bowl or keep.
Imagine allowing a fresh Jordan Silk to replace Mitch Marsh in the field with six overs to go.
These changes could be applied to ODIs but would have a lesser effect on the game. T20 is the money spinner, so it needs to be kept fresh.
Paul
Roar Guru
you must be a good writer then because they appeared to be well thought out. :happy:
DTM
Roar Rookie
Thanks Paul. To be perfectly honest, these weren't well thought out. I wrote the article in about 10 minutes because I was tired of the Tim Paine issue. Personally, I don't care much for T20 - especially international games outside of the World Cup. I'm a test cricket man and always will be. Cheers
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Very true. I recently wrote a series of articles comparing cricket and baseball from this and other angles. https://www.theroar.com.au/author/davej/ MLB still doing Ok as the second richest sports league in the world, but worried about these symptoms of decline.
Carlin
Roar Rookie
I remember those days. They were very entertaining. The Max zone for hitting boundaries straight down the ground was a good rule where runs doubles.
Tony
Roar Guru
And cricket is starting to look a bit tragic lately mate
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Broken house windows run for your life . Looks like we're both cricket tragics as well .
Paul
Roar Guru
"I have often wondered why bowlers in T20 matches are restricted to four overs while batsmen can bat the whole innings." This is a format about batting, hitting the ball as high and as far as possible, about having strike rates as close to 600 as possible. It has little or nothing to do about bowling, hence the heavy bats. flat pitches, 4 overs, etc. There is no intended contest between bat & ball, which is why you're well thought out changes, wouldn't get a look in at the ICC.
Tony
Roar Guru
And over the fence is 6 and out
carnivean
Roar Rookie
The average age of a baseball fan in the US is 57, making it the oldest of the big sports. It might not be dying but it's not bringing younger fans in to replace the ones they're going to lose in the near future.
Targa
Roar Rookie
The late Martin Crowe invented a game called Cricket Max about 25 years. It was like T20 (with other different rules) but the teams had 2 innings of 10 overs. If a player was dismissed in the 1st 10 overs he couldn't bat in the 2nd 10 overs, but if not out someone could. Bowlers were allowed 4 overs in total but they could be used in any way (for example, 0 overs in the first innings and 4 in the 2nd, 3 overs in the 1st innings and 1 in the 2nd, or 2 overs in each innings).
Paul D
Roar Guru
Not a fan of bowlers bowling ten overs - you would absolutely see a game where it's just one spinner operating non-stop from one end and possibly the same at the other, or a few bits and pieces bowlers. I'd prefer maximum of 8 overs per bowler. Don't like the 2nd one, I don't think other teams should be able to influence that sort of thing. Don't mind the 3rd, makes sense. Re: the fourth "So each team should be able to nominate two fielding substitutes that can come on at any time but are able to bat, bowl or keep." Should this be "aren't" - I assume it makes more sense with that. "Imagine allowing a fresh Jordan Silk to replace Mitch Marsh in the field with six overs to go." Do I have to? I don't think it's as riveting as it sounds. The sub rule is already being faffed around with in BBL and honestly I don't think it makes a rats backside worth of difference to anyone's viewing experience.
JGK
Roar Guru
Yes. It would be like back to back T20 matches.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
The 2 nd innings the batting order reverses. Bowling as well .
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Needs to be kept fresh? A sign of the times, when it’s only been going for less than 20 years. Interesting to reflect on the comparison with baseball, which also lasts about three hours. They have had no changes in format for 120 years, and only about three significant rule changes (eg using new balls, having a designated hitter). Tradition seems to be still more a part of product being sold in some ways.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Is that two innings of 20 overs each? Not sure if it works with TV schedules. And doesn’t quite restore the balance of losing the toss in the same way that batting first/batting is a trade off in Tests. But why not - if we have T10 and T16.6666…More product differentiation gotta be better?
Rob9
Roar Guru
I agree that bowlers don’t get enough action in T20 to ply their trade and I’d like to see them more involved in the format. I also wouldn’t mind seeing the innings stretched out a little bit more to take a bit of the heat off the batsmen to allow them find their rhythm, while also having the opportunity to arrest a declining momentum to work your team back into a game if things aren’t going as planned. This could be a compromise to leave us with just the 1 version of limited overs which I think we’ll see come to fruition at some point with a jam-packed calendar of competing forces. My thoughts are- x9 15 ball overs for a 135 ball innings (as opposed to the current 120)… stay with me here: Each bowler can take 2 overs for a total of 30 deliveries (6 more balls than the status quo) which leaves 15 balls to be delivered by a part timer. The appeal of T20 is the window of time that it’s able to be played in. With time between overs taking 60 to 90 seconds, x9 15 ball overs takes 11 bowler change intervals out per innings while also including another 15 balls of action. ‘The 100’ has shown the way that all ingredients of cricket are able to be changed, including how many balls constitute an ‘over’. For mine ‘The 100’ is a step in the wrong direction (further reducing the cricket experience), but I’d like to see some of the thinking applied to a version of the game that doesn’t condense it further.
JGK
Roar Guru
It might last longer as a contest than the toss
Chanon
Roar Rookie
The spectacle might not be as dramatic :laughing:
JGK
Roar Guru
I’ve said for years that a T20x2 is the way to go. That is 2 innings of 20 overs each person side. It would last as long as a 50 over match; if your favourite batsman gets out cheaply once, you get to see them again; if you lose 3 wickets in the first PowerPlay you still have a chance to redeem things.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
For a bit of fun 10 bowlers bowling 2 each bar the wicketkeeper . That will sort them out .