- “We have to do something before the bowlers dispear” – Sachin Tendulkar suggests changes to ODI cricket. The cricket legend has suggested splitting 50-over games into two innings of 25 overs each, keeping 10 wickets throughout the duration to equalize the competition between bat and ball.
- “We have to do something before the bowlers dispear” – Sachin Tendulkar suggests changes to ODI cricket.
- (Photo Source: Sachin Tendulkar) Veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has put forward a proposal to replicate one-day international cricket in response to concerns over the balance between batting and bowling.
“We have to do something before the bowlers dispear” – Sachin Tendulkar suggests changes to ODI cricket. The cricket legend has suggested splitting 50-over games into two innings of 25 overs each, keeping 10 wickets throughout the duration to equalize the competition between bat and ball.
“We have to do something before the bowlers dispear” – Sachin Tendulkar suggests changes to ODI cricket. (Photo Source: Sachin Tendulkar) Veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has put forward a proposal to replicate one-day international cricket in response to concerns over the balance between batting and bowling. The former India batsman believes the current format is tilted too much in favor of batsmen, creating an imbalance that threatens the viability of fast bowling in the sport.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session on Tuesday, November 3, Tendulkar outlined his vision for reforming the 50-over format. His proposal focuses on a structural change that would give both teams equal opportunities to bat and bowl in different conditions while maintaining traditional competition between bat and ball. “My suggestion is simple.
Divide the 50 overs into two innings of 25 each. But keep 10 wickets for the entire 50 overs and use one ball throughout,” Tendulkar said. The legendary cricketer believes that this is one of the ways to keep the competition between bat and ball on a level playing field.
He also added that it could balance the game and more importantly help the bowlers stay relevant in white-ball cricket. “This way the competition between bat and ball remains and both teams can bat and play in the rope. This balances the game on both sides.
We have to do something before the bowlers dispear!” he added. How would Tendulkar’s format change work? The proposal divides the game into two different phases of 25 overs each.
Under Tendulkar’s plan, all 10 wickets would remain available for the entire 50-over period instead of being reset after the first innings. Using a single ball during the game would mean that the state of the ball would change naturally in the two phases, resulting in different challenges for batsmen and bowlers in different phases. The former India batsman’s concern about the extinction of bowlers reflects a broader debate in cricket about the direction of the modern game.
The proposal to allow both teams to bat and bowl in wet conditions addresses a well-known disadvantage of traditional ODI cricket, where the team batting second often faces a wet ball that is difficult to grip and control. The use of a single ball across the two rounds would lead to an evolution in playing conditions. Early in the match, the ball would be new and favour fast bowlers.
As the innings progressed the ball aged, perhs offering more support to spinners or reverse-swing specialists, only to regain its character as it entered the second phase in dewy conditions.
