The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ‘New rule changes the dynamics’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 03, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Cricket

‘New rule changes the dynamics’

S. Dinakar

Chennai: An interesting experimental rule was in place during the recently concluded quadrangular Emerging Players tournament in Brisbane.

The second or third set of Power Play overs was actually decided by the batting side. S. Badrinath, who led the Indian team in the competition, told The Hindu, here, on Thursday that the latest innovation challenged both the batting and the fielding sides.

The experimental rule was introduced in the competition down under following criticism from some quarters that the use of the three blocks of Power Play overs — ten, five and five — was becoming too predictable. More often than not, the captains tended to use it in the first twenty overs of a 50-over game.

Of course, there were instances when someone as canny as Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene withheld the third block of overs on surfaces that tended to slow down progressively. These occasions were, however, rare.

Element of surprise

Badrinath feels passing the onus to the batting side for one of the Power Play overs forced the fielding captain to be on his toes. In other words, the game now had an element of surprise.

“We had to be very careful about how we used the spinners. It does change the dynamics of an innings,” says Badrinath.

He added the batting side generally tended to take its Power Play when it had two set batsmen at the crease.

If the batting side took its Power Play after the mandatory ball change — at the completion of the 34th over — the harder ball could travel quicker off the bat, and through the infield, in the critical third phase of the innings.

Badrinath is quick to add here, “If the pitch is doing a bit for the pacemen, then a harder ball would be a wicket-taking option. So the nature of the surface and the situation matter.”

Battle of wits

In a tense, nerve-wracking game, we could have a scenario where a batting side opts for the third block of overs in the last five overs. “It becomes a battle of wits, about how many overs your key bowlers have, how you use your field.”

Badrinath enjoyed captaining the Emerging Indians in a competition that included teams from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

He produced innings of 95 and 83 not out against the Australian Institute of Sports but India failed to qualify for the final losing a must-win game to New Zealand that was reduced to 20 overs-a-side because of rain.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport